The Drive in Being Alive
by WitandAmbition
Summary: Real life isn't perfect. People are flawed. Hearts are broken easily. No one is prepared for life after a war and it's the children who feel the consequences. (EWE, updated sporadically)
1. A Place to Call Home

**Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, then the epilogue would have ended with Harry realizing he'd fallen asleep without getting that sandwich he so greatly desired.**

Notes: Sadly this isn't related to my other stories. This is an old idea which is now being formed into a series of small, non-consecutive snapshots of the Potter family and other people.

* * *

"James!" Daphne called. "If you don't hurry up, we'll be late!"

There was no response from upstairs and she sighed as she looked at her husband. Harry only shrugged helplessly in response. They'd sent Teddy up to investigate a few minutes ago but neither of their sons had shown up yet.

Daphne wasn't sure at what point she'd started thinking of James and Teddy as her own sons. All she knew was that someone had to be their mother, and since Ginny wasn't up to the task, Daphne had stepped up.

Ginny and Harry had gotten divorced when she was two months pregnant. In one of their arguments about her caring for James, Ginny had screamed that Harry wasn't even the father of the unborn baby and he couldn't tell her what to do. Harry had immediately packed up his and James' things and moved in with Andromeda. Despite Ginny's pleas that they could work things out and they could give the baby a cloning potion, Harry had refused to get back together with her. In a fit of frustration, she aborted the baby and then threw herself into the arms of Draco Malfoy.

Secretly Daphne was glad that Ginny wasn't very involved in raising James. In between bouts of ignoring her son, Ginny belittled him just as much as she did Ron. James probably would have grown up to be even more insecure if she were a constant in his life. She'd also never taken much interest in Teddy even prior to the divorce. She'd been too focused on her Quidditch career to think about raising a child.

"Daddy, can we visit Jamie at school?" asked Calla.

"Hogwarts is close," added Damon. "We could walk there."

The Potter family lived in Hogsmeade so they could be close to the school, where Harry worked as the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. After his marriage with Ginny fell apart, he'd wanted a fresh start and had quit the Aurors.

"You can come during the Quidditch games," Harry told the twins. He was very firm about the children not getting special privileges. "Just like everyone else."

Calla opened her mouth, but before she could say anything more, Teddy appeared at the top of the stairs. Daphne hoped James hadn't noticed Teddy's violet shade of hair, although it was probably a vain hope. Out of all of them, James understood Teddy's mood changes the best.

"He's nervous about the sorting," Teddy said when he reached them.

Harry's brows furrowed. "Why? The old system has been abolished."

Everyone was sorted into the House best suited to them now, instead of the House they chose. Some people protested that it took away free will, but Daphne liked the change. People like Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't ever end up in Slytherin under the new system.

"I know," said Teddy. "That's why he's worried. He thinks he's bound for Slytherin."

An old fury boiled up inside Daphne. She knew exactly what was truly troubling James.

He had the best control of his magic that Daphne had ever seen in a child. When he was younger, he'd permanently made his eyes blue after he'd heard Ginny claim he looked just like Tom Riddle with his dark hair and eyes. Now his only resemblance to his mother was the small smattering of freckles across his nose, which could only be seen if Daphne was right in front of his face. Apparently that hadn't stopped Ginny from making further comparisons, though.

"That b–"

Harry put his hand on Daphne's arm, cutting off her words.

"I'll talk to him," he said. "In the meantime, can you let Andromeda know that we won't be taking the train?"

Daphne nodded her consent. In a case like this, they could forego the rule about special privileges. She didn't care if it would mean that Ginny missed seeing James off for school. James' well-being was their first concern.

"Don't bother," a voice said from above them.

They looked up as James descended the stairs. Showcasing his talent at magic, his trunk floated behind him even though he'd gotten his wand only a month ago. Daphne wondered how many spells he'd practiced in the time since then.

"I'll go," he continued. "Just… keep her away from me."

Harry exchanged another glance with Daphne before he responded.

"If that's what you want, son," he said at last.

James' nod was shaky, but his expression was resolute. "I do."

After another long pause, Harry finally took out his wand and shrank James' trunk so it would fit inside his pocket. Then they all Apparated to an alley outside of King's Cross Station. So many wizarding families used the alley as a point of Apparation that the Ministry had carefully warded it from Muggle view.

They followed the crowd of families streaming out of the alley. On their way into the station, they ran into a few familiar faces.

"James!"

That was the only warning they had before Hugo collided with his favorite cousin.

"Hugo, not so tight," Hermione scolded her son. "You're going to choke James – Rose, don't _help_ him!"

"It's fine, Aunt Hermione," James said, grinning as he hugged his cousins in return.

Daphne's attention was diverted from the scene as she felt a tug on her trousers. She looked down into Damon's verdant green eyes, similar in color to her own. Despite being twins, he and Calla were complete opposites in coloring. He was identical to Harry except for his eyes, while Calla had Daphne's golden blonde hair and Harry's unusually bright green eyes.

"Mummy, that's them," he said, pointing off to the side.

Following his finger, she saw Ginny Malfoy lingering at a distance from them. Two identical boys stood beside her. Daphne had always found it ironic that both Harry and Ginny had twins in their second marriages.

"Oh, great," said Ron, also noting his sister. "She brought Leonis and Severus."

Hermione nudged her husband. "Those are your nephews, Ron," she hissed to him.

"Yeah, and they're annoying," said Hugo with Rose nodding in agreement.

"Leo's okay," James said, his eyes on his approaching mother and brothers. "When he's not around Sev, that is."

Before Hermione could scold them any further, Ginny had joined them in front of the barrier. Leonis immediately moved forward to give his older brother a hug, but Severus stood glaring at James.

"Ready, Jamie?" Ginny said with one of her perfect smiles.

"Yeah," he replied. "Dad, will you go with me?"

"Of course, Jay," said Harry, putting his hand on James' shoulder and ignoring the irritation which crossed Ginny's face.

Daphne leaned over to kiss Harry's cheek. "I'll see you on the other side," she promised.

He smiled at her, knowing exactly what she was doing. Although she'd never admit it, Daphne enjoyed watching Ginny's face flush with jealousy.

After Harry and James passed through the barrier, Teddy cut off Ginny's approach as he followed them. Daphne grimaced in apology at Ginny for her older son's actions, but Ginny didn't notice as she huffed, gripped her younger sons' hands, and disappeared into the wall. The rest of the group trailed behind them and emerged onto the crowded platform. As Daphne arrived with Calla and Damon in tow, Andromeda was already fussing over both James and Teddy while Harry watched with amusement.

"You're Head Boy," Andromeda reminded her older grandson. "No one will take you seriously if you don't look proper. And James, will you _please_ do something about your hair?"

"Sorry, Gran," he responded cheekily. "It comes like this."

They all said their farewells to James and Teddy before ushering them onto the train. Teddy gave them a cheerful wave and went to begin his meeting, but James poked his head out of a window. He gestured for Daphne to come closer.

"D'you really think it'd be okay for me to be in Slytherin?"

He was gnawing on his bottom lip, a habit she knew he had picked up from Hermione. She'd tried to cut him of the habit, but that was like convincing Harry that Ginny's cheating wasn't his fault. Daphne had found that the Potter men could be remarkably stubborn.

"Oh, James." Her heart was full of an indescribable emotion as she placed one hand on his cheek. "We'll love you regardless of your House. Never doubt that."

"But just say – "

A familiar weight appeared on Daphne's shoulders. She knew without looking that Harry was beside her.

"Then _we'll_ love you regardless," he reemphasized.

James still looked doubtful, so Daphne added, "You'll always have a place to call home with us, James."

His bright blue eyes looked suspiciously wet then. The train whistled loudly, but although she couldn't hear James' response, she saw his lips form the word, 'Promise.' As the train began to move forward, Harry jogged to keep up with it.

"Until the very end!" he shouted over the other parents calling out farewells. "Until the very end, James, we _will_ love you!"

Daphne saw James' face flush with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. Finally he began waving at them, the barest hint of hope now in his eyes as he laughed at the small horde of children following the train. With the exception of Severus, who remained stoically at his mother's side, all of James' younger siblings and cousins were running alongside the train shouting at him until the train picked up speed and left the station.

Even if Ginny barely acknowledged him, James had a large family and parents who loved him. That was a fact which would last until the very end of time.

* * *

 **AN:** Who should ASP's biological father be? Zacharias Smith? Michael Corner? OC?


	2. My Hero

**Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, then Ginny would've been more than a glorified fan-girl.**

Notes: Last chapter, obviously, occurs 1 September 2015. This one occurs 21 December 2004. Like I stated earlier, these are snapshots. Length will vary.

* * *

Silence coated Number 12, Grimmauld Place as Harry entered the old house. At the base of the stairs, he paused and looked at the empty walls. All of the decorations they'd put up last night for James' birthday had been put away. Even the Christmas decorations were gone, although Christmas wouldn't be occurring for another four days. Guilt tore at his stomach and Harry was unable to move for a moment.

At last he sighed and began climbing the stairs, careful not to awaken any of the portraits as he passed by them. Kreacher had finally agreed to remove his mistress' portrait, which now resided in the attic, but Harry still didn't want to face the judgement of the other paintings.

He paused again in front of his and Ginny's room. Then he gathered that reputable Gryffindor courage and slowly turned the knob, opening the door quietly and peeking into the room to see if his wife was asleep.

She wasn't.

Harry blinked at the harsh light as the sconces flared to life. Ginny sat up in bed, the blankets falling to her waist as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're late," she stated flatly.

Shame rolled through Harry.

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. This was our only chance and we had to take it."

Ginny was unmoved. "Ron could have handled it. _You_ could have been home for your son's birthday."

"I know," Harry repeated. "But we can celebrate it tomorrow, just us and the family. James won't know the difference. He's only one."

Ginny's laugh was incredulous, harsh and cutting.

"We've had this planned for weeks, Harry. _Weeks!_ I even had Nadi here to take pictures!"

"Who?" Harry said blankly, not recognizing the name.

"Nadine Fanshawe, my photographer? Remember her, Harry? She now has photographic proof that you neglect your family." Ginny's mouth twisted into a sneer. "We'll be all over the front page tomorrow, I'm sure of it."

His nerves rattled, Harry ran a hand through his hair and he looked away from her. He knew only about half the names of her former teammates. That was after she'd been on the team for about four years. He couldn't name any of her new coworkers at the _Daily Prophet_ , which she'd been working at for about a year. Out of all of her friends, the only two people he really knew were Luna, who was off traveling the world and hadn't been seen for a long time, and Hermione, who had just become his sister-in-law.

"I doubt that'll happen," he said at last. "They'll be more interested in Lestrange's case."

After a long moment, Ginny's fierce expression shifted and her arms loosened.

"You caught him?" she asked, the barest hint of interest coloring her tone.

Harry nodded jerkily. "It was awful, Ginny, the body was entirely mutilated –"

He cut off as Ginny leaped out of bed and threw herself into his arms. Her lips covered his own in the next moment. When they finally drew apart again, she was beaming at him.

"I knew you could do it," she said, placing a hand on his cheek and staring into his eyes. Her own bright brown eyes were sparkling with pride. "My hero."

"Er, technically Ron did it. He figured out the pattern –"

Once again she cut his words off with a kiss. Since this was better than arguing, Harry decided to go along with it.


	3. Two More Partners

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

20 April 2007

The toddler in Daphne's arms slept the entire way to the bedroom he and Teddy shared at her apartment. Gently, she lay him down in his bed and made sure his favorite stuffed animal, a dog by the name of Blackie, was next to him. Then she went back to the kitchen to find her best friend and sister crowded around a newspaper. Harry had brought it with him when he dropped off James.

"She must have gotten pregnant immediately after marriage," Tracey mused.

Astoria made a scoffing sound. "Well, the Weasels are extremely fertile, aren't they?" she pointed out. "Mama Weasel popped out five kids in five years. I wouldn't be surprised if the Weaslette does, too."

Curious, Daphne shuffled them both aside so she could see what they were reading.

 ** _Welcome, Malfoy Twins!_**

 _Proud parents Draco and Ginevra Malfoy are happy to announce the birth of their sons, Leonis Albinus and Severus Arturus Malfoy. They were born on the 17th of April in the comfort of Malfoy Manor._

 _"Snape did a lot for me," said Ginevra when asked about her sons' names. "We want both of our boys to be as brave as him. He and Dumbledore saved Draco, too."_

 _The maternal grandparents are Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley nee Prewett. Severus gets his middle name from Arthur, whose own name was based on Arcturus. The paternal grandparents are Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black._

Daphne wasn't paying attention to the ongoing discussion between Tracey and Astoria. Her eyes were still fixed on the article, a furrow between her brows. Something was bothering her about the short announcement. At last, she realized aloud, "They didn't mention James."

Surprise crossed Astoria's face. Leaning forward, she reviewed the article again, and Daphne saw her sister's expression shift to anger. She was just as close to James as Daphne. In fact, it was when Astoria was babysitting Teddy and James that Daphne first met Harry. He and Astoria had grown close after the end of their respective marriages.

"I guess they were more focused on reinforcing the idea of their blood purity," said Tracey, and then looked up at Astoria with a wicked grin. " _That's_ what you'd be dealing with, Tori. Aren't you glad he cheated?"

"More so every day," muttered Astoria.

Since they were still focused on the newspaper, neither of them saw Daphne roll her eyes. Astoria had married Draco after dating him for less than a year. She'd been swept off her feet when Draco offered to pay off her clothing shop's debts. Both Daphne and their mother had warned her it might be infatuation and not actual love, but at the time, Astoria had refused to listen. Two and a half years later, Astoria now agreed it was infatuation.

"Racism isn't something I'm willing to compromise on," Astoria added, her dark blue eyes hard and firm.

"Apparently Ginny is," said Daphne. "She attaches herself to a man and makes whatever sacrifice necessary to keep the marriage together. At least, that's what Ron said."

Both Tracey and Astoria's gazes swung to her.

"Since when have _you_ been close to Ron Weasley?" demanded Tracey.

Daphne shrugged. "Teddy wanted to visit the joke shop."

"And you started discussing marriage with _Ron Weasley_?" Astoria's brows rose. "Sister dearest, is there something you're not telling us?"

"Nothing you need to know," Daphne responded evenly.

Tracey and Astoria exchanged a look which sent a chill of foreboding down her spine. It looked like Ron and George were about to get two more partners in crime. They'd already recruited Teddy to the cause, and at Teddy's birthday party yesterday she'd been fielding constant questions from all three of them about her and Harry's relationship.

"I'll be the maid of honor," Tracey decided.

"Only if I plan the color scheme," Astoria shot back.

Daphne shook her head and walked away before they could corrupt her with the insanity. She and Harry had only been officially dating for about a year. They weren't planning on a wedding for a long time yet.

As she entered the bedroom, a head of dark, messy hair shifted toward her. Her heart broke a little as she saw James blink sleepy blue eyes. They were such a stark contrast to the bright brown they'd been less than a month ago. _Just an innocent kid,_ she thought as she sat next to him. _How can Ginny not love him?_

Each day, Daphne was happy Harry had gotten custody of James. He was already predisposed to a lifetime of maladaptation and pain because of Ginny. Daphne was afraid what would have happened to him if the marriage had stayed intact. Nothing James did ever seemed to get Ginny's approval. She was incapable of seeing him as his own person.

"Hey, buddy," Daphne said softly. "Have you met your new brothers yet?"

"They not my brothers." James spoke with all of the stoutness of a stubborn three-year-old. "Teddy my brother."

Daphne took that as a yes.

"Well, it's just us today," she said, running her hand through his hair in a soothing motion. He moved his head into the touch. "Do you want me to kick out Miss Tracey and Miss Tia?"

James took a moment to consider the offer. "No, I want ice cweam."

She smiled, not at all surprised at the pronouncement. Ice cream had always been their tradition when she babysat him.

"Okay, buddy. Strawberry Shock or something else today?"

"Candy Cane Cwush," said James, sitting up and edging to the side of the bed. Daphne watched him slide to the floor, ready to catch him should he fall. As he stood upright, he added with authority, "Tia and Tacey have some, too."

Then, before she could offer to carry him, he ran out of the room as fast as his little legs could take him. As she followed him into the kitchen, she heard him chattering excitedly to Tracey and Astoria, all traces of sleep and resentment missing from his voice. Daphne shook her head again, almost envious of his quick change in attitude. _Ah, to be three…_


	4. Poster-Boy

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

28 January 2005

Harry hated his best friend. He absolutely, positively hated Ronald Bilius Weasley, who had disappeared during lunch and left Harry to do all of the Lestrange paperwork on his own.

Scowling, he shuffled aside more papers, and in the process, he dislodged the photograph of a toddler. Harry avoided looking at the dark-haired little girl as he put the photo back in place. She was about the same age as James, maybe a little younger, and the most unfortunate of Lestrange's victims. No one, much less a child, should be blamed for a parent's crimes. She didn't deserve to be caught in the middle of all of this.

"Potter, my office, five!"

Harry looked over the edge of his cubicle, dread pooling in his stomach as he answered affirmatively. The Head Auror, Gawain Robards, had always been an irritable person, and interactions with Harry seemed to make him even grouchier. He didn't think Harry deserved to be an Auror.

After spending a good bit of time straightening his files, Harry dragged his feet to Robards' office. He opened the door slowly once the Head Auror barked for him to enter. Even now, years after leaving the Dursley household, something in Harry froze when an angry man yelled at him.

"Sit down, Potter," Robards growled. "And shut the door behind you."

Harry did so obediently. He tried to arrange himself to look both confident and subservient. _Not that it'll help_ , he thought. No matter what Harry did, Robards would always view him as a poster-boy for the Auror Department.

For a long moment, Robards didn't look up at him. When he finally did so, his expression was grave and he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest as he surveyed Harry.

"Potter, you're aware that I'll be retiring in the next few years." It was a statement, not a question.

An explosion took place in Harry's stomach. He knew where this conversation was headed. This was everything he wanted, yet at the same time, he was terrified. He wasn't ready to be Head Auror.

"You aren't my first choice," Robards continued. "Unfortunately, Weasley has just handed in his resignation."

Harry gaped at him. "He what?"

"Yes, apparently his wife is pregnant, and he wants to be a part of his kid's life." Robards' mouth twisted grimly. "I understand, of course. This isn't the sort of career for a family-man. Which is why, ultimately, you make a better choice."

So thrown by the other information, Harry didn't notice the insult to himself. He began pushing himself up from his seat.

"I – Sir, if you don't mind, I need to find my brother-in-law."

Robards' brows rose. Then he splayed his hands. "By all means, Potter, go ahead and leave," he said, his mouth curling into a sneer.

Harry nodded distractedly and rushed out of the office.

"Ron!" he shouted. "Anyone seen Ron Weasley?"

"He said something about the joke shop," another Auror called.

Harry waved a hand in thanks and hurried to the Apparation room. A moment later, he appeared outside the joke shop. On a Friday afternoon, the shop was overflowing with people. He had to shove his way through the crowd to reach the counter, where the attendant looked extremely harried. After calling Verity's name several times, he finally got her attention long enough to ask, "Has Ron come by here?"

She gestured to above them. "He's upstairs with Mr. Weasley."

"Not anymore, he isn't," said Ron as he came down the back stairs. "Harry, what are you doing here?"

Harry pointed a finger at him. "Hermione is pregnant, and you told our _boss_ before you told _me_!"

"Oh, yeah." Ron scratched the back of his head. "Er, surprise?"

In a few strides, Harry reached his best friend and pulled him into a hug. They thumped each other on the back a few times before stepping back. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Verity roll her eyes and turn back to the customers.

Ron was beaming with happiness. "Come on up," he said, gesturing to the stairs with his head. "George and I were just discussing some, er, business. I haven't told him about the baby yet. By the way, did you know he's started dating Angelina?"

"Good for him," said Harry. "I can't stay long, I kind of just walked out on a meeting with Robards."

"Harry, he _already_ hates you!"

He grimaced while attempting to smile. "Yeah, it wasn't my best idea ever."

Ron laughed and turned around to punch him in the shoulder. His overall visage glowed with happiness, and some of it seemed to be overflowing to Harry, who couldn't help feeling excited, too.

"Just think," Harry mused, "if Ginny and I get started on the baby-making process soon, our kids will be the same age."

As he unlocked the door to George's apartment, Ron glanced back at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Good luck with that. Ginny wants to return to Quidditch, I doubt she wants anymore kids soon."

"I'll talk her into it," Harry said easily.

Ginny had been disappointed when James' birth made her retire from the team. However, she'd found happiness working at the newspaper. Harry was certain she wouldn't mind adding another child to the family.

Hopefully by then, he would have also talked her out of using the name Albus Severus. Ginny was intent on honoring Snape with their second son. Harry had considered it a minor miracle that he even convinced her to use Severus as a middle name.

Ron snorted, disrupting Harry from his thoughts. "Yeah, we'll see how _that_ goes," he muttered.

Then he opened the door, shoved Harry into the apartment, and for an hour, Harry forgot about all of his worries.


	5. Never Doubt

**Disclaimer: If I were JK Rowling, Albus Severus wouldn't be part of canon.**

Notes: Snape-apologists, you aren't going to like the implications here.

* * *

21 June 2005

The sun was far too bright in Harry's opinion.

Everything from the previous night was playing on repeat in his mind. At first he'd wanted to stop Ginny's rant, to kiss her and agree to the cloning potion so they'd be happy again. Then he'd seen James standing at the top of the stairs, big brown eyes wide as he watched his parents argue, and Harry wondered how it would affect James if they were to continue the charade.

He'd walked out his front door with nothing but his bags and his son in his arms. In the moment he'd been moving automatically, thinking of nothing but James and the words _he's a mistake_ ringing in his head. That had been Ginny's excuse for everything. Sleeping with Zacharias had been a mistake. Getting pregnant had been a mistake. _James_ had been a mistake.

It was the last one Harry couldn't forgive. James' birth might have been an accident, but he was not a mistake, nor would he ever be one.

"Maybe this is for the better," Harry mumbled into the table. He'd propped his arms on the surface and hid his face in them. "She wanted to name the baby Albus Severus. Who in their right mind would do that? He'd get bullied for the rest of his life."

The silence stretched on for so long after this statement that Harry lifted his head to look at Andromeda. Her eyes were distant as she stared past him to the window. It was only when he sat up fully that she focused on him again.

"Harry," she said quietly, "do you know how the Death Eaters were initiated?"

He shook his head.

"They had to demonstrate an Unforgivable Curse." Her tone was still quiet and her eyes were haunted. "Most killed or tortured a Muggle, but then there were others… People like Mulciber. He used the Imperius Curse to get what he wanted out of women."

Her words jogged old memories, long since pushed to the back of Harry's mind.

 _"He specialized in the Imperius Curse, forced countless people to do horrific things!"_

 _"I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!"_

 _"D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"_

 _"It was a laugh, that's all."_

A wave of nausea hit Harry. He'd never liked the idea of naming the baby Albus Severus, but now it turned his stomach. He couldn't help but imagine a boy who looked exactly like himself, except he had dead, flat eyes and for some reason Cedric Diggory's body lay at his feet… It was much like Harry's old nightmares when Cedric died so long ago. He'd been afraid he would become a psychopath just like Voldemort.

Refusing to look at Andromeda, Harry said, "But Dumbledore – he wouldn't let the students be attacked, right?"

He clenched his fist when Andromeda lay a hand on top of his own and his stomach tightened as she spoke his own thoughts aloud.

"Harry, you of all people know that Dumbledore did nothing to protect Hogwarts."

His mind replayed his years at Hogwarts in agonizing detail. Harry could easily see Dumbledore letting potential Death Eaters attack other students. He wouldn't do anything to stop them unless a student was actually killed. It wasn't until Ginny had been taken to the Chamber of Secrets that Dumbledore even considered closing down the school.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Andromeda stood up to answer it. Hermione's voice floated down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Is Harry here? Ginny said he left last night with James and she's really worried."

"I'm afraid I haven't seen them," said Andromeda sympathetically. "Do you know why he left?"

"Er, no… I'll let you know if I find them."

Once Hermione had left, Andromeda returned to the table and sat across from Harry. She stared at him with intense, piercing gray eyes and he ducked his head to avoid her gaze. "You'll have to face them eventually, Harry. You can't avoid them forever."

"I know," he muttered. He knew how much she disliked Remus for walking out on her daughter. "Thanks, by the way."

Anromeda reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "You have us, Harry," she said, her eyes warm and kind, and his heart was in his throat as he flipped his hand over to squeeze back. "Never doubt that."

* * *

 **AN:** Harry needs just as much motherly love as James does.


	6. A New Era

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

2 May 2009

Several people were blatantly trying to get a look at Daphne. Disregarding their stares, she faced forward with her attention fixed on Percy, who leading the Memorial Ceremony. Beside her, Harry took ahold of her hand and glared at anyone sneering at them. Only then did people look away; still, Daphne knew they were whispering about _the new Mrs. Potter_. Ever since she and Harry's engagement had been announced, they had been the focus of gossip, especially now that the wedding was less than a month away.

Two seats down from them, there was another heated conversion, barely intelligible as Ron tried to keep it low. James had chosen to sit next to his uncle instead of his mother, and Ginny wasn't taking the decision well. At last, Harry leaned forward and whispered down the aisle, "Jamie, how about you sit between me and Smum?"

As James complied with the suggestion, Ginny's expression twisted with fury, but Daphne was too thrilled with the term to be concerned about Ginny's feelings. At Christmas, after Harry had proposed, Teddy had announced that Daphne would be his and James' step-mother. He then quickly decided that was too long of an address and shortened it to _Smum_. James picked up the term, too, and each time Ginny heard it, she looked like she'd sucked on a lemon.

"Don't worry," Daphne whispered to James as Kingsley took the stage. "It'll be over soon."

"No it won't," he muttered, crossing his arms and sinking lower into his seat. His eyes then cut to where Draco was trying to calm down the babies.

With Leonis and Severus turning two, James had become increasingly rebellious as if to compete with their unruly behavior. Ginny had always been less than supportive or affectionate with James, but those tendencies had become even worse after the twins were born. Daphne was determined not to do the same should she and Harry ever have more children.

Kingsley had finished his speech and called Harry to the stage to read the names of the Fallen Fifty. While he'd been an Auror, Harry had also contributed a speech to the ceremony, but now he was happy to simply lecture his students. Daphne briefly closed her eyes and let his emotion-rich voice wash over her.

"Edward Tonks," Andromeda whispered as Harry reached Teddy's parents. At Daphne's curious glance, she added softly, "More people than these died in the war. They should be honored, too."

Daphne squeezed her hand. " _We_ remember him. I know Dean does, too."

Andromeda returned the light squeeze but didn't take her eyes off Harry. After knowing her for more than three years, Daphne recognized that Andromeda preferred to process the loss on her own, and she turned away to allow her privacy. However, she still kept ahold of Andromeda's hand, an anchor of support should Andromeda need it.

"Lunch?" Daphne suggested once the ceremony had ended.

Andromeda nodded. "Yes, tell Harry we'll meet in his quarters. I need to speak with Teddy first."

"Don't forget Victoire's party," Daphne reminded her.

Surprise crossed Andromeda's features as she turned back to face Daphne.

"We're included?"

"Of course you are," said Daphne. "This is a day for the family. Our definition of family might be skewed, but I know for sure that you're a part of it."

Their relationship was more than skewed, if Daphne were to be honest. Andromeda was more like an aunt than a mother to Harry, and she was careful to never cross that line. What Molly Weasley had never understood was that Harry didn't want another woman to replace his mother, and Andromeda tried to respect that wish. As a result, she was always uncomfortable when James called her his grandmother. Harry's efforts to break him of the habit had been fruitless. In James' mind, since Teddy was his older brother, Andromeda was his grandmother, and there was no convincing him otherwise.

"I know," said Andromeda. "I meant, what with Ginny's tantrum last year, I thought we wouldn't be invited again."

Daphne shrugged. "It's up to Bill and Fleur," she answered. "They want us there, so we're going."

"This'll be a disaster," Andromeda said, her brows rising. "I look forward to it. Should I meet you at the cottage instead, then?"

"The Burrow," Daphne corrected.

Andromeda grimaced slightly at the pronouncement, but waved in understanding and went to find her grandson. After verifying that James was leaving with Molly and Arthur, Daphne searched for her fiancé. At last, she decided he must be trapped by the crowd surrounding the platform. Harry's mess of hair should have made him distinctive but she couldn't spot him among the people.

"Darling," she called in her loudest voice, trying to sound pompous at the same time. "Shall we go home?"

Quite a few people eyed her with distaste. Even though Kingsley was also a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the general populace disliked people who belonged to the caste, particularly those were in Slytherin. Daphne turned her brightest smile on all of them.

"Of course, dear." Harry's voice drifted to her and as he spoke, the crowd seemed to part for him, providing a path to Daphne. "We have a wedding to plan, after all."

The last words had some of the people shifting uncomfortably. Ignoring them, Harry hooked his arm around Daphne's waist, pulled her closer, and then bent his head to kiss her. Daphne made no protest, not to the kiss nor to the flash of a camera. This was, in her opinion, the best way to prove they had reached a new era: a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, kissing in front of the war memorial.


	7. Bonus Scene

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

 _Bonus Scene: 12 August 2005 (a day after Ginny's birthday)_

"A boy named Albus Severus," Harry said to the ceiling. "What d'you think he'd be like?"

While Harry was splayed on the floor of his tiny bedroom at Andromeda's house, Ron had claimed the bed. Hermione had declined the emergency drinking night on account of her pregnancy.

"I dunno." Ron turned over his beer bottle and glared at it when nothing happened. He shouldn't have been surprised. The bottles had been his first invention, or rather, his first idea for George to design. They were spelled to never to spill their contents. "A psychopath, for sure. He'd probably get someone killed. Or destroy the entire world. Or fall in love with a straight guy. Wait, no, he'd marry someone with blue hair!"

"Like Teddy?" asked Harry.

Ron nodded vigorously and then stopped as he looked like he was about to vomit. Once the feeling had passed, he continued excitedly, "Yeah, but this is Bellatrix's daughter. And she's manipulating him and trying to bring back Voldemort, and he doesn't realize it, and he's in love with, I dunno, Malfoy's son, and Malfoy is in love with Hermione –"

"Your daughter," Harry interrupted.

"My daughter isn't even born!" cried Ron. "How dare that no-good, evil little –"

"No, I mean Malfoy's son is in love with your daughter. 'Cause, y'know, triangles are cool."

"Oh." Ron looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that's a good idea. We should write this down."

The next morning, Harry woke up to a hangover and his room in chaos. Papers were strewn all over the place and they crackled beneath him as he sat up. He picked one up and adjusted his glasses to read the title: _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_.

"I fucking knew it," he said. "I'm never naming my child Albus Severus."


	8. Wish

**Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, then Harry and Ginny's children would've been Evan James, Brian Arthur, and Ruby Lilian. Their dog would be named Snuffles.**

 **7 April 2010**

Underneath the light of the stars, Daphne wasn't afraid to ask any question. She put a hand on her belly and imagined she could feel the babies moving around. Fixing her gaze on Harry's dark outline beside her, she asked, "Do you think one of them could be a girl?"

"Ginny said only she can give me a daughter. I don't know if I believe it, though." He turned to look at her, and though she couldn't see his eyes, she could hear the certainty in his voice. "I've looked at my family tree, and even though the _first_ child is always a boy, after he's born, there's no other pattern."

A feeling of heaviness settled in her stomach, one which had nothing to do with the pregnancy. Still, she forced herself to ask the burning question on her mind. "But if she's right?"

"I'll love all of my children," he said resolutely. "Regardless of gender, sexuality, anything. Nothing will change my love for them."

Despite his assurance, doubt still bled into her mind. He might not be disappointed in the children, but he could be disappointed in her. She knew how much Harry wanted a daughter, and if she couldn't provide him one, then she would feel inadequate. Not to mention, Ginny would rub it in her face.

As if sensing her uncertainty, he moved closer to her on the blanket. His hand wiggled beneath her head, and after a moment, she lifted her head and rested it on his arm. She could feel his breath on the side of her face.

"We could make a wish," he whispered.

She allowed herself a small smile. "On a star?"

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's to not discount the possibilities of magic." Harry's lips brushed against her cheek as he spoke. "Just think, Ginny could have made a fucking _clone_ of me, and then he would marry Voldemort's daughter."

A laugh was startled out of her. She tried to imagine such a child, but all she could think of was a girl covered in scales. The image was oddly amusing, and for a moment, her worry evaporated.

"Voldemort's _daughter_?" she said, swallowing down her urge to laugh.

"Exactly," Harry said solemnly. "Clearly we can't predict what might happen in the future."

While before she was lamenting the darkness, which obscured her view of him, now she was thankful for it. He couldn't see her, nor her flabbergasted expression. Her husband really did have a strange mind.

Her body quaked with a desire to laugh again, and when Harry let out an unmanly giggle, she gave up control. It took them a while to calm down, but finally, Daphne wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Alright, let's make a wish upon a star. What do you want it to be?"

"One daughter," he answered immediately. "A little girl like you, but with my eyes. That's the trend, isn't it?"

"It is," Daphne agreed. All wizarding children looked like their parents except for minor variations. Little Albus Severus, should he have been born, would have drawn a lot of suspicious looks. "But why one?"

"Because I want to name her Calla," said Harry. "It's a type of lily, and it means 'beautiful' in Greek. I thought you'd like it."

Warmth spread through her chest. Every day he made her fall more in love with him. Children in her family had names with a Greek basis, and he knew how much the tradition meant to her.

"Calla and Damon," she said, testing the names together out loud. She knew she wanted to honor her father, too. "He'll look like you except for his eyes."

Suddenly Harry's lips found her own, and in Daphne's opinion, the kiss didn't last nearly long enough.

"Calla and Damon," he agreed when he pulled back. "May our wish come true."

Daphne was confident it would.


	9. My Treasure

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

18 December 2010

Daphne turned sideways to view her reflection better. She poked her belly, which still showed a bump. With the twins' birth, she'd definitely lost some weight, but it was taking longer for her to get her old figure back. In fact, if she were to believe her mother, then she would never fully recover her former figure. Daphne wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"One thing is for sure," said Harry from behind her. "We are never, ever celebrating Valentine's that way again."

In the reflection, she could see him trying to swaddle Damon. However, Damon had decided he liked being spread out and he kept wiggling free of the blanket. He was so very different from Calla, who calmed down each time the blanket was wrapped around her. She was asleep in her bassinet, oblivious to her brother's protests.

"Oh, we can do that again," Daphne said. "But next time, you remember the contraception spell."

Harry snorted. "I wasn't the only one to forget it, dear."

At last, he seemed to reach a compromise with Damon. The baby was bundled snugly with only his arms sticking out. Daphne was certain that once Harry wasn't looking, Damon would figure a way out of the blanket once again.

Harry laid Damon down in the other bassinet.

"Now sleep," he ordered sternly.

Daphne rolled her eyes and bent down to kiss Damon's forehead. She then smoothed her hand over his fuzz of jet-black hair. "Sleep well, _min skat_ ," she whispered to him.

As Damon's eyes drifted closed, Harry harrumphed.

"Mama's boy," he muttered, but despite the words, he didn't sound accusatory.

Daphne only smiled. She couldn't help it if Damon preferred her over him. After all, it only made sense for her to be the favorite parent. Harry might have helped create the twins, but she did the rest of the work.

"Come on, darling," she said, guiding him to the bed. "Let's get some sleep, too."

Sleep, she had learned, was a precious commodity, and she was not about to squander it. Soon Teddy would be arriving for Christmas, and she knew that while he was visiting, they would get even less sleep. Maybe after that, she would act on the looks Harry was giving her. He, at least, still found her post-pregnancy body very attractive.

 **~TDiBA~**

 **AN:** Yet another short scene. Also heads-up, posts will be slow/non-existent for the next two months. It's wedding season, and when you have a big family like mine, that means pure and utter chaos.

 _Skat = treasure… also taxes._


	10. Grievance Party

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

17 September 2005

When the doorbell rang, Harry didn't bother to move from his reclining position. More than likely, it was yet another reporter looking for a scoop. Or worse, it could be a woman looking to heal poor Harry Potter's heart. He scoffed at the idea. After everything which happened with Ginny, he wasn't trusting his heart with a woman ever again.

"If you're looking for Harry, he's not here," he heard Andromeda say shortly.

"Wait!" a woman cried, followed by a smacking sound as if she'd caught the door. "I'm Astoria Mal – Astoria Greengrass. Please, I just want to speak to him."

At those words, Harry quickly rolled to his feet. The name of Draco's wife was usually glossed over in the media, but Harry could still recognize it. He'd also heard from Ron that Ginny had broken Draco's relationship.

He rolled his eyes. _Really, you should have expected this,_ he told himself. Ginny had dumped Neville for Michael Corner the same night of the Yule Ball. Then after she broke up with Dean, she started dating Harry himself only two weeks later. That she'd waited a month before moving on to the next man was a small miracle.

Also, if he were to believe Dean, then Ginny had been obsessed with getting Harry's attention even while she'd been in other relationships. He had to wonder if she was doing that this time around, too. Sleeping with his school rival was certainly a way to get his attention, and even now he could feel the monstrous jealousy rising in his chest as he thought of them together.

Harry shook that thought from his head. _For James,_ he reminded himself, glancing at the toddler on the floor. As if sensing his gaze, James looked up and, at Harry's reassuring smile, gave him a gap-toothed smile in return. _You have to do this for your son._

"You can let her in, Andromeda," he called.

There was a pause, and then he heard Astoria say with stiff courtesy, "Thank you." Moments later Andromeda led her into the room.

Astoria Greengrass did not look as he had expected. While she carried herself with elegance, there was a sense of kindness in her eyes which made her more attractive. He could also see it in her smile when she bent down to greet James. Other than her honey-blonde hair, she seemed to be the opposite of Narcissa Malfoy.

"Hello," she said in a soft, lilting accent typical of a pureblood; in Harry's opinion, it made even Cambridge or Oxford people sound like idiots. "I'm Astoria. What's your name?"

Instead of answering her, James stood up, toddled to Harry, and hid behind his father's legs.

"This is James," said Harry. "Say hi, James."

James hugged his legs even tighter and made no response.

"He doesn't like strangers," Harry said apologetically.

Astoria looked sympathetic as she straightened.

"I suppose I can understand that. The papers aren't targeting him, are they?"

Harry winced and ran a hand through his hair. The paparazzi was obsessed with the Man-Who-Conquered, and it got even worse when he married Ginny Weasley, a member of the Holyhead Harpies. Every moment of his life with Ginny had been publicized, even James' birth. _Future Golden Boy,_ they had called James, _fit for Gryffindor for sure._ Then they began watching him, waiting to chronicle any moment of failure.

"Oh, they most definitely are," Andromeda said angrily in his place. "But I'll leave you two to your grievance party. If you need me, I'll be in the garden."

As soon as Andromeda left the room, Astoria abandoned all sense of elegance. She flopped onto the couch, took off her heels, and placed her feet on the low table in front of her.

"Shall I start first, or shall you?" she asked him.

Harry glanced down at his son, who was still clinging to him.

"Jay, how about you go help Andromeda outside?"

There were a lot of sensitive subjects which might arise, none of which he wanted James to hear. James might be only a toddler, but Harry also knew that children could be very insightful. Plus he was going to have a lot of complaints about Ginny, and he didn't want to cloud James' view of his mother.

Eventually, James reluctantly obeyed his father's nudging, and only because he was allowed to take Blackie the Stuffy with him. Then Harry summoned a bottle and two shot glasses from the kitchen. He set them up on the table and poured an equal amount into each glass.

"Shoot me a question," he said.

"Why'd you marry her?"

Harry drank before answering. He swished the liquor around in his mouth as he tried to put his thoughts into words. At last, he swallowed and said, "She was easy and convenient. I'd turned twenty-one, the same age my parents died, and Kingsley was pressuring me to get married and start a family so other people would, too." He noticed Astoria's raised eyebrows. "Well, he didn't phrase it like _that_ , but he certainly implied it."

"What a leader," she said sarcastically, and Harry grimaced before completing his explanation.

"Anyway, about two weeks later I proposed to Ginny – on her twentieth birthday, in fact. We got married a month afterward."

He spoke the last part bitterly. What should have been their fourth wedding anniversary was only two days ago.

"Only a _month_?" Astoria repeated incredulously. "That's how long we waited before we started _planning_ our wedding."

Harry waved a hand to her shot glass in a magnanimous motion.

"Go on, then. Why'd you marry Ferret-Boy?"

"Betrothal contract, initially," she replied. "And yes, that's a thing, but we can back out at any time we wish."

On that, Harry decided to keep his comments to himself.

"I'd never really thought about it – I didn't have to make a decision until I was twenty-one – but then one day, he strode into my shop, handed me a bouquet of flowers, and offered to pay off the shop's debt."

As Harry opened his mouth, she spoke over him.

"Yeah, I know. It was more like a business deal, but back then, I thought it was the most romantic gesture I'd ever seen." She looked down at her glass and blinked rapidly. "And then I couldn't get pregnant, and we thought about using that stupid Cloning Potion, and I know he was getting frustrated but that gives him no right _whatsoever_ to fuck that tart."

Harry conjured a tissue for her to dab at her eyes.

"If it makes you feel better," he said in a commiserating tone, "Ginny slept with Smith because I wasn't paying enough attention to her."

Astoria's laugh sounded more like a hiccup. She shook her head, looking bemused as she said, "That's an even _worse_ excuse."

From there, they went onto other topics, almost competing with their list of complaints. Her main one regarded her store, _A Pinch of Gold_.

"According to Draco, proper purebloods don't work in retail, and I should give up my shop which has been in my family for _generations_." In a rather drunken motion, Astoria held up two fingers and declared, "Well, he can have a pinch of shit."

"Ginny blamed James for ruining her career, but she could have gone back to Quidditch after he was born. Hell, I even encouraged her to!"

"And _Scorpius Hyperion_. I wanted Scorpius Damon – you know, a good compromise – but _no,_ Damon was too common of a name. Can you think of anything worse than _Hyper Scorpion_?"

Harry straightened, feeling almost victorious as he announced, "Albus Severus. It sounds like Anus Several."

For a long moment, she only stared at him. Then she reached for the bottle, lined up both glasses in front of him, and poured a generous amount into them. She waved her hand at them the same way he had earlier. Harry knocked both of them back, enjoying the burn down his throat. Maybe they could wash away the thought of such a truly awful name.

* * *

 **AN:** Thought of the day – if Ginny did go back to school (as I think JKR implied), then she graduated June 2000. Professional Quidditch season ends in August, so she wouldn't be able to join the team until ~2001. She got pregnant ~2003. Her _long and successful_ Quidditch career lasted about two years. _JKR_ was the one who made Ginny little more than Harry's Child-Bearer.


	11. Little Bump

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

 _ **WARNING:** This covers a very sensitive topic: abortion. I understand if you want to skip this scene. However, it also provides some of Ginny's view._

14 July 2005

Ginny had done everything to get Harry's attention. That one summer living with Sirius had helped quite a bit in her efforts. Using his stories about Harry's parents, she modeled herself after Lily and James. It also helped that she looked like a combination of them: her dark, fiery hair was close to Lily's deep scarlet color, and her bright brown eyes were close to James' hazel eyes. She was everything Harry wanted, all in one person.

Then James came along, and suddenly, Harry's attention was diverted. He'd never focused solely on her, but she understood that. He was a hero, after all, and heroes had obligations. Yet sharing his attention with another person, one who looked so much like Tom Riddle, didn't sit well with her. Slowly, she had showed off her assets more and more, trying to win Harry's love again, until she found herself in Zacharias Smith's bed. That was when she knew she'd taken it too far, but it was already too late.

When she became pregnant, she decided to keep the baby. Harry didn't know about pureblood customs, so once she found out the baby's gender, she could drink a Cloning Potion and Harry wouldn't even guess her transgressions. It would all work out perfectly. She knew how much he wanted a family, and he would be happy to have another child.

Ginny placed one hand over her belly. At four months pregnant, she finally knew the gender: a boy, her little Albus Severus. After she took the Partus Potion, he would no longer exist. She had to do this, though. Without the baby in the way, Harry would love her again.

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered, rubbing her belly as if to comfort the baby. "I'll miss you, Albie-Sev."

Then before she could talk herself out of it, she downed the potion.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then she sank to the floor, screaming from the pain. She could feel the life draining from her, and she thought her own life was going, too. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried, curling into herself. Finally the pain overtook her, and she sank into blissful unawareness.

The next time she opened her eyes, it was to see a white, barren hospital room. Her mind strained to figure out how she had gotten here. The last time she'd been in a hospital was to deliver James.

 _Pregnancy_.

That word blared in her mind. She struggled to sit up and look down at herself. Even though she didn't look much different, she could feel the loss of her baby. Her precious Albus Severus, who would have looked just like Harry. Every day she would miss him, but this was necessary for getting Harry back. Maybe in the future they could have another child.

 _Lily Luna,_ she reminded herself. It had been years since she'd heard from Luna, and she doubted Luna had married since then. No one would ever want Luna. Not even Harry really liked her, and he had plenty of odd friends like Ron and Hermione. Ginny would give her a chance to have a lasting legacy.

The door opened then and her eyes widened as she saw her father. He hadn't looked so haggard since the end of the war.

"Your mother's at home," he said as he took the seat beside her. "She was… devastated by the news."

Ginny wrapped her arms around herself.

"I had to do it, Daddy," she said, tears prickling at her eyes. "I _had_ to."

He took ahold of her hand. "Oh, Juniper…" His voice was soft and worried, like when she was eleven and she'd nearly died because of Riddle. He had used her old nickname then, too. "Ginny, we would have helped you if you'd just told us. To do this…" He closed his eyes briefly and then looked at her with a pained expression. "You almost bled to death, Ginny."

She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with her free hand.

"A little bleeding is normal," she muttered.

"In a legal operation, yes, but you used the potion," her father said, his eyes still shadowed. "The Partus Potion is banned for a reason, Ginny."

"Well I didn't have any other option, did I?" she snapped, suddenly angry. "You have to get the father's permission for an operation, and that wouldn't _ever_ happen."

 _For multiple reasons,_ Ginny added in her head. The Healers would determine the baby's real father and ask his permission for an abortion. She didn't intend for Zacharias, or anyone else, to know he'd impregnated her.

That was how she knew Harry still loved her. So far Harry had kept her affair a secret, too. Now that the little bump in their way was gone, they could get back to normal.

"Don't worry, Dad," Ginny said, settling back onto the bed and closing her eyes. "Everything will work out."

For a moment, there was only silence, and then he said, "I hope that's true, Juniper," using the personal nickname again. Then he patted her hand, scraped his chair across the floor, and departed from the room.

As the door closed behind him, Ginny was already descending into a pleasant dream. At King's Cross Staiton, she could see Albus Severus, along with two children she didn't know and a little girl who looked just like her. Harry was at her side, smiling at their precious son, and it was everything she had ever wanted.

That Harry didn't even touch her, or that James was missing from the scene, never crossed her mind.


	12. The Sorting

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

1 September 2015 (continued)

As the group of first years streamed into the Hall, Harry strained to pick out his son's messy black hair. He grinned when he saw Phoenix standing next to James. She gave Harry a small wave which he returned, although James ignored his father.

Hannah leaned over to him. "Is that Lestrange's daughter?" she asked, too low for anyone else to hear her.

"Yes," Harry answered just as quietly. "She goes by Strange."

Both he and Neville had been on the Lestrange case, so they were sent together to deliver Phoenix's letter. They had to persuade her mother the wizarding world had changed since Lestrange's imprisonment, and that Phoenix would be safe in Hogwarts. Neville had probably shared the concerns with his wife, who as the Matron, helped monitor the students' stability.

Hannah glanced at the two students again and her features softened.

"She'll need a friend," she murmured.

 _So will James,_ Harry thought, but didn't say aloud. Already whispers had sprung up about his son. At the Slytherin table, Teddy threw a harsh stare to his peers, who immediately ceased their gossiping. He'd mastered Andromeda's stern expression in preparation for being Head Boy.

Harry's gaze flicked over the other tables. All four of James' cousins were trying to tame the gossipers, too: Percy's twin girls, Mary and Lucy, at Gryffindor; Dominique at Hufflepuff; and Victoire at Ravenclaw. Harry made a mental note to give them points later on.

The Sorting began, and Harry tried to pay attention to the names being called. He recognized a few of them, mostly from his days in the Ministry. From his class, only two couples had children the same age as James: Ernie and Susan Macmillan, and Marcus and Pansy Flint. Both were members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, who tended to have children at an earlier age. The rest of their peers had waited longer which, in retrospect, might have been a good idea for Harry and Ginny.

That was in the past, though, and despite the circumstances of James' birth, Harry wouldn't give his son up for the world.

"Potter, James!" Neville called.

As Harry leaned forward, James looked up at him for the first time. Harry smiled reassuringly at his son, and James squared his shoulders before he sat down on the stool.

Only seconds passed before the Sorting Hat shouted its decision.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. _Ravenclaw?_ He hadn't expected that one, but he supposed it made sense. It was also best for James. In Ginny's mind, anyone but him could be in Slytherin.

As James stood up, the Ravenclaw table cheered. They enthusiastically greeted him and Victoire, the fifth-year Prefect, pulled him into the seat next to her. Over at the Gryffindor table, the students were visibly disappointed. They'd clearly been expecting him to join their House.

 _Goes to show,_ Harry thought, clapping as Phoenix was sorted into Hufflepuff, _that people are unpredictable._

The rest of the Sorting passed fairly quickly. Since it was now based on a person's values, and not their ability to argue, there was less time spent on each student. Harry definitely preferred it this way; James' class was big, and Harry's stomach was already growling as they reached the last first-year.

McGonagall stood for their attention. A number of years ago, Harry wouldn't have expected her to still be Headmistress. Back then she'd sworn that she would retire before James Sirius Potter reached Hogwarts. Then she met him and realized that despite his name, he was an individual, and he should be treated as one.

"Welcome," she said, smiling at all of them, "to Hogwarts."

Even now, twenty-four years after his own Sorting, those words warmed Harry's heart. The rest of her speech he tuned out, only resurfacing when she sat down again and the food appeared.

Next to him, Hannah made a gagging noise.

"Oh dear," said the Transfiguration teacher. "I know that feeling."

The other teachers chuckled as Neville helped his wife out of her seat.

"Come on, love," he said. "I don't think the students would like to see you puke."

As Harry watched them quietly exit the room, he did a mental calculation. Three more months, and he'd have his sixth godchild. One more and he'd have enough to form a Quidditch team.

 _Potter's Army,_ he thought, a smile tugging at his lips, _given a whole new meaning._

McGonagall's voice drifted to him from down the table.

"Potter, I don't like that maniacal smile."

Harry grinned even more.

"Whatever you're planning," McGonagall continued, still in a nonchalant manner, "you'll have to answer to your wife first."

His smile disappeared.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

17 October 2015

While Daphne was shopping, Harry spent time with their two younger children. Currently they were sprawled on the floor of the living room with coloring books and crayons. Although Calla was enjoying her book of _Tangled_ scenes, Damon had quickly gotten bored of coloring in Disney characters and decided to draw their family.

"That's really good, Dan." Harry tilted his head. "But where's your sister?"

Damon pointed. "There, with the dog."

"Oh, that's a _dog_ …" Harry stared at the black smudge, which looked like a circle with sticks on the bottom. A figure with yellow hair stood next to it. "What's his name?"

"Blacky," Damon answered proudly.

Harry's brows rose. "Like Jay's stuffy?"

After deciding he was too old for stuffed animals, James gave his collection to his younger siblings. Blackie was the only one he kept, and the dog sat in a place of honor on the shelf, out of the twins' reach. They knew not to touch the stuffy without James' permission.

"Nuh-uh," Calla piped up. "Blacky with a ' _y_.'"

She said this as if the spelling made it into a completely different name.

"So you want a dog?" Harry asked them.

"Uh-huh." Damon was coloring more smudges. "Ten dogs."

Over the years, the children had asked for a dog on multiple occasions. Harry and Daphne were waiting until the twins were older before they made a decision. Caring for a dog was like raising a child, and they already had their hands full with four of them.

"A small one," said Calla. "Like a cat, so Mum'll like it."

Two years ago, they discovered Calla was allergic to cats. It made visiting Daphne's mother difficult. She'd taken in Astoria's cat after Astoria married Draco, and there was fur all over the manor which agitated Calla's allergies.

"Your mum likes dogs," said Harry. "She's just never had one."

He thought about it the rest of the day, though, and when Daphne came home, he proposed the idea to her.

"They'll be five next week," Daphne mused. "Do you think they could handle a puppy?"

"We could get an older dog," Harry suggested. "There's probably a lot of them at the rescue center."

Daphne bit her lip as she thought, a distant look in her eyes. She didn't chew on it, though, as James did. After several moments of her doing this, Harry got up to find Damon's drawing from earlier that morning. She snapped back to attention when Harry handed the paper to her.

She squinted at the drawing. "Are those… dogs?"

"Yeah," Harry said, amused even though he'd wondered, too. "I don't think he'll become an artist."

"You never know." Daphne tilted her head, as if she could see the dog at a better angle. "He could do impressionism or whatever it's called."

Harry only shrugged in response. He didn't know much about art. One time he'd visited Tate Modern with Ginny, and she suggested they deface the art to make it more interesting. When he'd laughed, she took it as a dare, and then they were both prohibited from the museum. That had taken a lot of work to keep from the press.

The Obliviator Squad also resented Harry's ex-wife, and they sent him a thankyou card when he divorced her. Now that she was married to Draco, she didn't visit the Muggle world nearly as often, and they had less catastrophes to cover up.

After another moment of staring, Daphne set the drawing aside.

"We should ask James," she said. "I don't want him to feel like we're replacing him with a dog."

Harry conceded she had a point.

"I'll talk to him and Teddy on Monday," he said.

Daphne nodded. "This will be a family decision that we _all_ agree on," she emphasized, meeting his eyes.

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by two voices from outside the doorway.

"They want a doggie, too!"

Harry looked at his wife, who was shaking her head as she smiled. He had to stifle his own laugh as Calla and Damon came into the room. Damon presented his parents with a letter which bore James' handwriting, and Harry leaned in to read over Daphne's shoulder. Both James and Teddy, the latter of whom had signed at the bottom, gave their consent.

"Looks like we're getting a dog," Harry said with a grin, and the twins cheered.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't look so smug. Cats are still better." She poked him in the chest. "If Calla weren't allergic, we'd have a dozen of them. Do you hear me? A _dozen_."

"Of course we would, dear," he said soothingly.

Now he knew why Damon wanted a plethora of dogs. He got it from his mother.


	14. By Your Side

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

12 July 2009

 _When September the first arrived, it was cold. Harry hated the cold. It reminded him of his awful time camping and Dementors. Not that a Dementor would affect him with his children having already sucked the soul out of him._

 _"You'll be a psychopath," sneered Tom Vernon._

 _Albus Severus snorted. "Don't be ridiculous,_ you'll _be the psychopath."_

 _"Boys!" Ginny said sharply. "Don't forget your sister."_

 _In response to this, little Petunia Jane pursed her lips. With her flowery dress, she should have looked sweet and innocent, yet Harry was painfully reminded of both her namesakes. He brought it on himself, though, when he married Ginny._

Two more years _, he reminded himself._ Then I'll be rid of all three.

 _Maybe he would divorce Ginny, too._

 _Finally they reached the barrier, and Harry was happy to wave goodbye to Tom. Before Tom left, though, he leaned over to his brother and hissed, "You're barely better than a Squib." Then he laughed and, dodging his mother's hex, he disappeared into the barrier._

 _A flash of light momentarily blinded Harry, and he heard Rita Skeeter dictating to her quill._

 _"Ginny Potter has no control on her temper and hexes her own children. One has to wonder if she treats her husband the same way, and that's why he remains married to her…"_

 _Half of it was true, but Harry no longer cared about his portrayal in the papers. He didn't care about much of anything these days._

 _Albus looked up at his parents._

 _"Tom's wrong," he stated. "I'm not like a Squib. I'm the best wizard_ ever _."_

 _"Of course you are, sweetie," Ginny gushed._

 _Sick of their yammering, Harry pushed his spawn through the barrier. Then he followed before Ginny had the chance to protest. Most of her concern was for her precious little Albus Severus. She had been the one to name him, in revenge of Harry choosing Tom Vernon. However, unlike him, she actually admired Dumbledore and Snape._

 _On the other side, Albus was gazing hungrily at his cousin._

 _"We're best friends, right?" he said in a pointed tone._

 _Rose sighed. "Of course we are, Al."_

 _Wanting to get away from them, Harry snatched up Albus' trunk. He was about to use magic to make it lighter when Ron grabbed the other end. With a sigh, Harry let him help carry the trunk onto the train. Ron liked to feel needed._

 _"Hermione thinks I'm too stupid to drive," Ron told him. "Do you think that, Harry?"_

 _Harry grunted but said nothing. After his experience in second-year, he wouldn't trust Ron behind the wheel, either._

 _When they returned to the platform, the two families were gathered together._

 _"Oh, look," Ron said brightly. "Ginny, it's your ex-lover."_

 _Following his gaze, Harry saw Draco standing with his wife and son. Scorpius looked just as arrogant as his father. Draco caught them staring and Ginny turned away, blushing bright red._

 _"Where's Tom?" asked Hermione._

 _Harry shrugged. "Who cares?"_

 _Unfortunately, those words drew the vindictive little demon out of hiding. He loved to torment his father with his very presence._

 _"The cycle continues," he said, dark hair falling into his brown eyes as he looked up at Harry. "A little orphan boy will marry a Weasley…"_

 _A shiver passed down Harry's spine. Tom really could be creepy._

 _"I hope so," said Petunia. "We can't have him marrying a Mudblood." She looked at Hermione and added, in a tone somehow both sugary and vicious, "They're just_ freaks _."_

 _"So are half-breeds," Ginny said snidely, glaring at where Fleur stood with Bill._

 _Harry checked his watch._ Time for them to leave.

 _He rushed his two older spawn onto the train. Tom immediately went to find his followers, but Albus leaned out the window._

 _"_ Am _I like a Squib?" he demanded._

 _"You kind of are," Harry said, and then stepped back before Albus could ask any more questions._

 _The train began to leave, taking the children away from him. In two years, he might even be happy._

* * *

Harry woke with his heart thudding erratically. Trembling, he reached for his wand and quietly lit the tip. He was almost scared to look at the woman sleeping next to him. Slowly, he turned his head and let out a breath when he saw Daphne's golden hair spread on the pillow.

She began to stir.

"Harry?" she mumbled.

"It's nothing," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Daphne shifted enough to face him, one eye barely open. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah." He swallowed after his voice came out a little rough.

She moved even closer so her head was against his shoulder. He could feel each of her breaths on his neck and drew comfort from them.

"What was it about?" she asked.

He sighed, knowing she would press even more if he didn't give in. That was the difference between her and Ginny. His ex-wife would've waved off his concerns. Daphne got to the root of the problem and helped him solve it.

It would be easy to make up an excuse. Soon Teddy would be leaving for Hogwarts, and even if he was teaching there, Harry was feeling some separation anxiety. However, Harry knew he ought to deal with the real problem first.

"I named my son Tom Vernon. And my daughter Petunia Jane." The name Albus Severus didn't bear mentioning. She already knew his horror regarding it.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then she said softly, "We don't have to go if you don't want to."

Yesterday they'd received a wedding invitation from Harry's cousin, Dudley. He somehow found an owl to deliver it, too. It was the first time Harry had heard from his cousin since the war, and that Dudley used a wizarding method to reach Harry meant a lot to him. Unfortunately, he knew without a doubt that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would be in attendance.

He shifted to look at his wife.

"Would _you_ go?" he asked.

"This isn't about me," she said. "It's entirely up to you."

"But would you?" he insisted.

Daphne hesitated before responding. "I think I would," she said slowly. "But only if you went with me. It's never a good idea to face your demons alone."

At last, his scattered, worried mind calmed down. It was amazing how she could overwhelm him in so many different ways. "You'll go with me?" he asked, and hoped she would understand what he was truly saying. He'd never been good at putting his emotions into words.

Her lips pressed to his jaw in a gentle expression of love.

"Until the very end," she murmured, "I will stand by your side, Harry Potter."

His heart was so full of love he thought it might explode. With a bit of maneuvering, he connected their lips in a real kiss. Then he lay back down, his arm wrapped around her, and slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **AN:** The dream sequence comes in at 666 words. I could've made it longer but I thought that number was perfect. I also took _Cursed Child's_ route: Who's Hugo?


	15. Not Always

24 August 2005

Ginny entered the Leaky Cauldron with only one goal in mind. A thrill of pleasure swept through her when she saw several men look at her with her lust. However, she ignored all of them. They were just there to make Harry jealous.

The crowd parted and there he was, sat at the bar with Neville beside him. There was a bubble around the two heroes, as if people were too awed of them to even dare to approach. Ginny wasn't scared, though. She loved Harry with every beat of her heat, and she knew he loved her, too. All she had to do was remind him of it.

Her outfit had been planned with that in mind. Although her hair wasn't that long anymore, she had other ways to draw Harry's attention to her tight rear. The jeans hugged her perfectly, emphasizing each curve. Her shirt also dipped low enough to hint at her full cleavage. There was no way Harry would be able to take his eyes off her.

Ginny paused to take in the sight of him. He looked more disheveled than usual. Clearly, he had been missing her.

She drew in a steadying breath. This would be easy. After all, she'd done it a number of times in the past. She would inject herself into the conversation, make a few witty remarks, and linger close to Harry so he would always be aware of her presence. Other women would know that Harry belonged to _her_. She was the only person who could stand next to him as his equal. No one understood Harry like she did.

Harry and Neville's conversation became audible as Ginny got closer to them.

"But you can't quit," Harry was protesting. "We're already short Ron, and when I leave –"

"Neville's been planning this for years," Hannah interrupted as she cleared away their dishes. "He's always said he'll put in five years, and then he'll do something he really enjoys."

Neville shrugged one shoulder. "She's right," he said a little apologetically.

"Of course she is," said Ginny, and reveled when all three of them jumped. She smiled at Hannah. "The wife is always right, eh?"

Hannah's eyes were narrowed. "Not always," she answered flatly.

At the clear anti-support, Ginny's smile became frozen. However, she rallied quickly and she stepped closer to Harry. At this distance, he should be able to smell her flowery perfume. He'd always loved the scent because it reminded him of his mother.

"But even if she isn't," she continued in a low, sultry tone as if Hannah never spoke, "a compromise can always be reached. All it requires is a little… effort."

She brushed her hand against Harry's leg and he recoiled at her touch. Ginny blinked at the expression on his face. Somehow he managed to combine desire and pain. She knew that she was just imagining the disgust.

"Not always," he bit out, the words sounding choked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

"Me too," Neville said quickly. "Er, it was nice seeing you, Ginny."

Ginny gaped at both of them. Belatedly, she reached out to catch Harry's arm. He easily dodged her and continued on his way to the Floo, Neville on his heels. Ginny was left alone at the bar, blinking and bewildered. Her plan should have worked, but Harry just walked away without looking at her.

"Would you like a seat?" Hannah asked, gesturing at the two chairs which had been vacated.

"No," she snapped, not caring how rude she sounded.

For a moment, Hannah stared at her, her gaze calculating. Then she shrugged and turned to another set of customers, two blonde women who chatted inanely with her.

There was a jittery feeling in Ginny's stomach. She didn't know what it indicated, but she didn't like it. People were looking at her, curiosity in their eyes. Usually when Ginny Potter was out in public with her husband, she was draped over him for all of the world to see. However, just now he had been seen running away from her.

Across the room, Ginny noticed a familiar head of pale blond hair. She grabbed Harry's drink, still on the counter, and finished it off. Then she ran her hands through her hair and fluffed it out before heading to the back of the tavern, to the secluded corner where Draco Malfoy sat alone.

If Harry refused to notice her, then she would make him. It had worked before, and it would work again. Soon enough, he would return to her.


	16. Leaving

**Disclaimer: Obviously I am not JK Rowling.**

20 June 2005

Having just gotten home from a long work day, Harry wanted nothing more than to eat dinner with his family and then go to sleep. Instead he was confronted by his very angry wife. She caught him in the hallway as he headed for the kitchen, entering his personal space and glaring up at him.

"Is it true?" Ginny hissed.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Although he loved her dearly, sometimes it was difficult to deal with Ginny's mood swings. Hopefully this was just an effect of the pregnancy, and once the baby was born, things would settle down again.

"Is what true?" he asked tiredly.

Her nostrils flared. "Cho Chang! Did you sleep with her or not?"

"Cho?" He stared at her in bewilderment. "I haven't seen Cho in _years_ , Ginny. How could I have slept with her?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Maybe when you were on one of your long missions? It's not like you tell me anything about them."

"I do when I can," he assured her. "And trust me, if I ever cheated on you, I wouldn't be able to come home and act like everything was normal."

Then, to assure her of his love, he pulled her into his arms. Ginny remained tense for another long moment before she relaxed into his embrace. Her hand wrapped in the fabric of his robes and she buried her head into his chest. As Harry rubbed her back soothingly, he heard a loud sniffle.

"I just… I don't want to lose you," she mumbled.

"You won't," he cajoled. "Nothing would make me leave you."

She sniffled again. "Even – Even if it was bad?"

Harry wondered if her voice really did quiver, or if he was just imagining the trepidation. Concerned, he drew back to look at her, but she kept her head down and rubbed at her nose. His senses, honed by years of Auror experience, were telling him that something was off here.

"Ginny?" he questioned.

She shook her head.

"Ginny?" he said, more alarmed. "Ginny, what happened?"

"Nothing," she answered, still avoiding his gaze. "Dinner will be ready soon, you should go wash up."

As she made to turn away, Harry caught her arm, and she swung back toward him, her eyes blazing. Before she make any scathing comment, though, Harry demanded again, his stomach knotting with fear, "Did something happen?"

"You," she snapped. " _You_ happened, Harry. Everything is about you, isn't it?"

Then she let out a cold laugh, the sound so raucous and cruel that he startled and loosened his grip on her. He blinked once, trying to reconcile this image of her and the woman he loved. Ginny was never like this. _The hormones,_ he told himself. _It's just because of the hormones._

"Who cares about little Ginny Weasley and how she feels, eh?" she continued and then with another harsh laugh, she shook her head, her shoulders slumping. "I never wanted him, Harry. I never wanted _any_ of this."

"Never wanted–" He blinked again, still not understanding. "You mean – _James_?"

"Him, too," Ginny agreed sadly. "He was the first mistake. Zach was the second."

A sudden feeling of coldness settled in his limbs. Surely he had misinterpreted those words. Ginny would never do that to him. She was just trying to play a joke on him, and soon they would laugh it off, like every other time she accused him of cheating on her.

"You slept with Zacharias," he said numbly.

"I–" Her head snapped back and it was her turn to blink rapidly, as if she hadn't even realized what she was saying, and that was so like her that he knew this wasn't a joke. "I didn't mean to–"

"You didn't mean to?" As she reached for him, Harry stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. The thought of her touching him right now made his skin crawl. "Then what happened? You accidentally fell on his dick?"

Ginny made a wounded sound. "Harry, _please_ –" She grappled for his hands, but he refused to budge. Instead she clutched at his arms, looking up at him desperately. "We can use a cloning potion, everything will be okay…"

Shaking his head, he glanced up the stairs and saw James standing there. He held the railing with one hand and clutched Blackie in the other hand, his eyes wide and frightened as he watched his parents. Harry's heart broke for his son.

"Harry? Harry, where are you going?"

As Ginny had continued begging for him to understand, Harry had automatically climbed the stairs toward his son. His instincts told him to comfort James before he dealt with his wife. Scooping James up into his arms, Harry turned to look down at her. Tears were streaming down her face and her face was splotchy. Even when she was a mess, she was still beautiful.

James pressed his face to Harry's neck, and Harry was jolted back to reality.

"I'm leaving," he said.

Her face crumpled. "But you just said…"

"I know what I said." With a flick of his wand, he summoned his and James' essentials, enough to last them a week at Andromeda's house. "I need some time to think."

Ginny moved out of his way as he came back down the stairs. She was watching him despairingly.

"But you'll come back, right?" she said, her voice tremoring.

Pausing at the door, Harry took a deep breath and said, "I don't know." He reached for the handle, but then another thought occurred to him. She'd mentioned something about a cloning potion. Turning, he said without hope, "The baby isn't mine, is it?"

She only stared at him, her eyes shining with tears, and Harry walked out on his wife, taking their son with him.


	17. Happy Birthday, Harry

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

31 July 2006

The party was going much better than Daphne expected. Most of the Weasley family was in attendance, including George's fiancée, Angelina Johnson. Several women were crowded around her to admire the ring. Standing nearby them, Daphne could also hear them discussing baby names.

"What if it's twins?" said Katie Wood. "With this family, there's a high chance of it happening."

"We've already planned for that," said Angelina. "Gabriel Frederick and Franklin George will be their names." She patted her swollen belly. "If there's one thing we've learned from Harry, it's to not do direct namesakes. There'll be no Fred Weasley the Second's here."

Reminded of James, Daphne scanned the crowd for him. She found him in the sandbox with several other children, where they'd discovered the wonders of mud.

"You're smitten, aren't you?" a familiar voice said into her ear.

Daphne glanced at her sister. "Of course I am," she said. "Who can resist a two-year-old boy covered in mud?"

"Lots of people, I'd imagine," Astoria replied. "And that's why Harry's so smitten with _you_."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "He is not."

"He is too, and the sooner you accept it, the sooner I can plan a wedding."

"Tori!"

She glared at her sister, who only grinned and took a sip of her drink, her eyes sparkling mischievously over the rim of the glass.

A shriek of laughter pulled her gaze back to the sandbox. Harry had joined the children and now they were ganging up on him. Her heart skipped a beat. Mud was splattered all over him and he looked absolutely ridiculous, but as he pretended to wrestle with the children, he was laughing just as loudly as them.

"Daddy, catch!"

James launched himself at his father, and with the weight of his elder goddaughter, Dominique, on his back, Harry was almost knocked off his feet.

"A little more warning next time, buddy," Harry said as he hugged his son.

Then as if sensing Daphne's gaze, he looked up at her, grinning. As if his grin had a magnetic pull, Daphne found herself crossing the yard to him. She reached to pull Dominique off his back and cuddled the toddler in her own arms.

"You're not hurting your uncle, are you?" she asked the little girl.

Both Dominique and Victoire continued to refer to Harry as their uncle. Victoire wasn't as receptive to him, as she blamed him for the divorce, and she was also wary of Daphne. However, Dominique loved her godfather and seemed to be accepting Daphne, too.

"Nuh-uh!" The three-year-old grinned. "Nothin' can hurt Unca 'Arry!"

Daphne looked up at Harry, who had been trying to surreptitiously massage his shoulder. He caught her eye and mouthed, 'Thank you.'

"Your uncle might be a hero," Daphne said to Dominique, though her gaze was still on Harry, "but he's still a man. Remember that next time you try to tackle him, okay?"

"Okay!" Dominique chirped.

She began wiggling so Daphne set her on the ground. Harry did the same with James, and Dominique grabbed her cousin's hand to drag him back into the sandbox.

"Thanks," Harry said sincerely.

When she met his gaze, her heartbeat fluttered again. His eyes were soft and filled with a strange, inner glow. She'd never seen him look at someone like that, not even in the pictures of him and Ginny. That had been more primal, possessive. The way he was looking at Daphne now, it was like a mixture of gratitude and… _No, it can't be love,_ she thought.

Harry placed his hands on her waist and drew her closer to him. Her head naturally tilted up to accept his slow, languid kiss. There was nothing overtly sexual about it, not with so many people around, but warmth still pooled in her stomach.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked when they parted for air.

He smiled and stroked her arm with one hand. The other hand still rested on her waist, holding her close.

"You," he said softly. "That was about you, Daphne Greengrass."

Her lips parted but words seemed to fail her. Smiling gently, he pressed another kiss to her lips, and she decided not to care about a verbal response.

"Oi, Harry! It's time to slice the cake!" Ron called.

This time when Harry drew back from her, a small, humiliating groan left her. A flush crept across her cheeks. Surely she didn't make such a sound from a simple kiss. _Oh Merlin, if he heard it…_ she thought with horror.

The corners of his mouth were twitching, and she knew without a doubt he'd heard the effect he had on her.

"I've decided on my birthday present," he said.

She cleared her throat. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He smiled even wider. "We're going to stop taking things slow."

Daphne released a shaky breath. Then she looked up at him, affecting self-confidence as she said, "Happy birthday, Harry," and accentuated it with a wink. To her pleasure, his cheeks went a little pink.

Taking his hand in her own, she guided him to where everyone was gathered around the table. His eyes widened when he saw the cake. After hearing his story about his first ever birthday celebration, she'd asked Hagrid to make another cake identical to the one he'd given back then. However, she hadn't expected Hagrid to write: _Hapy Burthday, frum Dafney._

"I 'ope ye like it," Hagrid said nervously.

Harry looked at Daphne. "I love it," he replied.

* * *

 **AN:** The other day, my friends and I were talking about baby names… They were not pleased by my suggestion of Severina Luna, nor the nickname Severe Loony.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

 _Draco's POV, as requested by a reader..._

* * *

18 May 2007

To visit his father in Azkaban, Draco had to get permission from the Auror's office first. An Auror would then meet him on the coast and they'd take a boat across the sea to the island. The process was tedious, and as a result, he only visited his father twice a year, for Christmas and Lucius' birthday.

As the Auror guided him to the meeting room, Draco fingered the photo in his pocket. He was only here at his mother's request. She had insisted his father ought to know about Leonis and Severus.

"You have an hour," the Auror said when they arrived at the door. "We'll be watching you, rat."

Although he really wanted to roll his eyes, Draco only nodded and pushed open the door.

There were no windows in the room. In fact, there was nothing at all except for a table and two chairs in the very center of the room. On one side of the table sat Lucius Malfoy with his wrists enclosed by magic-suppressing handcuffs. When Draco first visited his father, nine years ago now, he had been entirely chained to the chair. Years of good behavior meant Lucius was allowed to move his hands.

"No touching," a voice barked from somewhere unseen.

A scathing comment dangled on the tip of his tongue, but he managed not to react.

Lucius sighed as if sensing his thoughts.

"Please stop with the melodramatics, Draco," he said. "Have a seat, tell me about your wife… Oh, don't look at me like that. The guards _do_ talk, you know."

Draco was no less suspicious. "Mother didn't tell you?" he asked. He'd explicitly asked her not to mention Ginny to his father.

"She mentioned you'd remarried," said Lucius. "I was under the impression she didn't want me to know the woman's name, so I pretended to be ignorant." He raised one eyebrow. "But now I can ask you: what on earth possessed you to marry Ginny Weasley?"

The answer was surprisingly simple.

"My reputation had been ruined, and I needed an heir. She was… easy."

Lucius snorted. "So I've heard."

If the insult had been to Astoria, Draco would have reacted with anger. However, he knew his father was simply stating the truth. Ginny had a reputation among their peers. Each man she'd dated had been a member of Draco's class, and she rebounded from the break-ups so quickly, it was as if the relationships never occurred. That was why he'd pushed for them to have children immediately after their marriage. If she ended up leaving him, at least he would have an heir.

"The plan was fruitful," Draco said, removing the picture from his pocket. "This is Leonis Albinus and Severus Arturus. Ginny insisted on Severus' name. I hoped Arturus would balance out him being named after a Death Eater."

Lucius carefully picked up the picture and inspected it.

"They have their mother's eyes, do they not?" he asked.

Unsurprised by the question, Draco nodded. Most pureblood families knew about the Cloning Potion, which was often used to cover up affairs.

"They're my legitimate sons," he stated confidently.

For a long moment, Lucius continued staring at the picture of the twins. Then he pushed it back across the table to Draco. They weren't allowed to hand anything directly to each other. The picture had even been studied before Draco entered to make sure he wasn't trying to give his father a secret message.

"Leonis' name is a good idea, too," said Lucius. "It's overtly Gryffindor."

That hadn't been Draco's idea, but he nodded again anyway.

"And it sounds similar to Lucius," he added, hoping to please his father.

Unfortunately, Lucius didn't seem impressed at all. He didn't even acknowledge Draco's words before moving to the next question.

"What about her other son? James Potter, isn't it?"

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He glanced at the picture, which still rested on the table in front of him. When he'd gone through their photos of the twins, he'd noticed Ginny didn't keep any baby pictures of James. Her utter disregard of him, except as a weapon against Harry, was beginning to worry Draco.

"James doesn't come around very often," he said at last. "He mostly stays with his father."

As if sensing it was a sensitive topic, Lucius didn't press the issue. That was surprising to Draco. His father must be very lonely here if he was avoiding a potential argument.

The rest of the visit went normally. They mostly discussed Draco's mother and how she was getting along without Lucius. At the end of the hour, Draco let his father look at the picture of the twins one last time before he tucked it away again.

When he stood, he hesitated and then said, "I'll see you again, Father."

Lucius nodded. "At Christmas," he said a bit blandly.

Draco didn't bother to correct him.


	19. Quidditch World Cup 2014

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"Potter, what's your son doing with my daughter?"

"Relax, Ernie, they're only –" Harry paused as he realized it wasn't Ernie who had addressed him, but his former brother-in-law. "Bill. Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Bill growled. "Your _son_ has corrupted my daughter."

In a nearby box, where the Brazilian players' families sat, a cheer erupted. Dominique leapt to her feet along with Teddy, hooting and hollering with victory, too. The Brazilian team had just scored, putting them ahead of Krum's team. Now it was only a competition for the snitch.

"Oh," said Harry.

He'd thought the problem would be Victoire. Although she and Teddy had indicated no interest in each other, Molly was still encouraging them to get together. In Molly's mind, an orphan could only achieve happiness by marrying into the Weasley family. She tacitly ignored Harry's failed relationship with Ginny, which proved the theory wrong.

"How would you like it," Bill continued in an aggrieved tone, "if _your_ daughter cheered for the wrong team?"

Harry held up a finger as he felt his scroll vibrate in his pocket. The scroll was an invention of Hermione's modeled after their old DA coins. So far, only four people had them, and since the two other people were in the box with him, he knew the message had to be from his wife.

 _Why does Bill look upset?_

Harry held his wand to the parchment. _Brazil is winning._

 _Well Rita's scented it, might want to make him laugh or something._

"God, I hate the public eye," Bill sighed, who'd evidently read over Harry's shoulder. "Where is Daphne, anyway?"

"Visiting her cousin," Harry said, waving a hand in the direction of the journalist's box. "And keeping an eye on Skeeter, apparently."

Bill frowned. "Ginny's over there, too."

"Daphne can handle it." The words came out less certain than Harry wanted. He had no doubt Daphne could defeat Ginny, who knew few spells beyond the Bat-Bogey Hex, but he wasn't sure she could control her cousin. "Plus there's some Aurors with them. If Ginny tries anything, they can subdue her."

Bill sighed. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

Long ago, Harry would have felt a smidge of guilt. However, he had no such worry anymore. Ginny was no longer his problem unless she hurt James. Until then, Draco could deal with the international incidents she might cause.

"Uncle Bill." Leonis had appeared beside them and, as usual, turned his back on Harry as if he didn't exist. He always acted that way in front of Severus, who was indeed watching them with narrowed eyes. That boy's jealousy issues really disconcerted Harry. "What's the difference between a Veela and a Harpy?"

"That's a question for your aunt," Bill told him.

Leonis shuffled his feet. "I would, but I don't want to make her angry."

He glanced around, caught his brother's gaze, and flushed. With his shoulders hunched that way, he suddenly reminded Harry of James, and Harry found himself kneeling at Leonis' level before he even knew what he was doing. Leonis took a step back and stared at him with wide, almost frightened eyes.

"Hey," Harry said softly, in the same tone he'd use with his students. "What's this really about?"

After a quick glance at Bill, who nodded encouragingly at him, Leonis looked down at his feet and mumbled, "Only what Uncle Theo said, that he'd rather Dad married a Veela than a Harpy."

Harry struggled to keep his expression smooth and undisturbed. Though he wasn't surprised by Theo's proclamation, they'd need to have a conversation on what could be spoken around children.

"Well, I can tell you this," he said quietly, leaning forward as if it were a secret. "Veela and Harpies are both wonderful, magical creatures capable of the most amazing things."

Leonis' brows creased together. "So… Harpies aren't bad?"

"There's good and bad to everything," said Harry. "You might not be able to see it, but even the most evil person is capable of good."

"Like Snape," Leonis said, nodding.

"I wouldn't say he's _evil_ ," Harry said after a small pause. "He was just… a very, very disturbed man."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Bill straining not to share his opinion on the subject. Harry could understand the struggle. Although he'd accepted Snape's actions, he could never forgive them. He'd learned the difference between acceptance and forgiveness because of Ginny.

"But Mum was a Harpy, right?" Leonis' frown only deepened. "Does that mean she's disturbed, too?"

Harry hesitated. He didn't know how to answer that question. ' _Yes_ ' would have been Tracey's immediate response, since she had no filter, but Harry couldn't say that to Ginny's own son. Unfortunately, he also didn't have Daphne's knack for evading the tougher questions.

Obviously noting his dilemma, Bill decided to rescue him.

"You know what's more disturbing?" he asked Leonis. "How is Skeeter still employed?"

As Leonis tilted his head, truly contemplating the question, Harry noticed Draco watching them. He nodded to the other man, and Draco looked away, no longer concerned. In Harry's opinion, that was also disturbing. Until a few years ago, he'd never imagined Draco could care about anyone but himself.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

Calla ran up to him wearing one of Luna's ridiculous hats. Before Harry could rise to his feet, she clambered up his back and jammed another hat onto his head. He heard the hat let out a dragon's roar and hoped it wasn't a Hungarian Horntail.

"There!" she crowed happily.

"Thanks, princess," Harry said.

"Oh, pretty sparks!" she exclaimed, her attention quickly diverted.

Following her gaze, Harry repressed a sigh. The rest of the audience had noticed the commotion in the journalist's box, and soon afterward, the game was called to a halt as Aurors converged on the box.

 _"We apologize for this delay, ladies and gentlemen… One of the reporters was hexed and the perpetrator must be escorted off the premises."_

Harry pulled out his scroll and tapped a message to his wife. He also included Ron and Hermione in the message, figuring they'd want to be informed, too.

 _Everything alright?_ he asked.

 _Yes, but Draco might want to see to his wife._

A look from Harry had Draco sighing. Then he schooled his expression and, after a few words with Arthur, he quietly left the box. By now, this was probably a routine for him.

Leonis looked up at Harry. "Is it Mum again?" he asked in a small voice, and once again, Harry was reminded of James, of a time when James still had faith in his mother.

Severus scoffed. "Don't be daft, Leo. Of course it's Mum."

"Oi, lay off," James said sharply. He grabbed ahold of Leonis' hand and began tugging him toward Luna as he added in a gentler tone, "Come on, Leo. Let's see if Auntie has any more treats."

"I do!" Luna said happily. "Here, Severus, I think you'd like this one."

Grudgingly, Severus headed toward her, and Harry checked his scroll again. While he'd been distracted, the conversation had continued without him.

 _Was it Skeeter again?_ Hermione asked Daphne.

 _When isn't it?_ Daphne responded.

 _It could have been you,_ Ron pointed out.

 _I think my cousin frightened Ginevra enough that –_

The message stopped abruptly, as if Daphne sent it before finishing her sentence. A ball of worry formed in Harry's stomach. He glanced at Ron and Hermione, who were sending a flurry of questions, wondering what happened. Harry was about to head for the journalist's box when Daphne responded again.

 _Sorry, my cousin got curious. Would you mind trading her for Ginny?_

 _Are you insane?_ Harry tapped to her.

 _She's driving me there. She also wants me to tell you 'knep dig selv.'_

 _Oi, stop flirting,_ Ron broke in.

 _Knep dig selv, Weasley._

At that, Harry laughed aloud, which drew curious looks from the other people in the box. The very next day, Rita wrote that he'd gone mad. Harry read it aloud to Daphne while they ate breakfast.

"Mad about you," he then told her, giving her a suggestive look.

She took a sip of her coffee before she responded. " _Knep dig selv_."

* * *

 **AN:** _Knep dig selv = go fuck yourself._

Inspiration for this came when I read the entry on the 2014 World Cup, wherein Ginny jinxes Rita in the solar plexus. Cuz, y'know, that's not a bullying tactic at all.


	20. In Loving Memory

**Disclaimer: If I were JKR, I'd have written the main relationships to be much healthier.**

After Ginny's release from the hospital, Harry helped Arthur plant another juniper tree. The first one had been planted after she was born. Arthur had liked the symbolism for his young daughter: healing, chastity, good humor, patience, and protection. He'd thought about using a different tree in honor of Ginny's lost baby, but he ultimately decided he wanted the baby to have a connection to Ginny.

At the base of the tree was a memorial stone reading:

 _IN LOVING MEMORY_

 _Albus Severus Potter_

 _July 2005_

Harry had insisted on the last name Potter. Had the baby lived, Harry would have raised him as his own son. Unfortunately, Ginny had taken away that chance.

She'd also taken away any hope of recovering their relationship. Despite her insistence she'd done it for him, Harry couldn't forgive her for killing an innocent child.

The entire family gathered in front of the tree while Arthur gave a speech about loss and parenthood. Harry stood awkwardly to the side as Molly supported Ginny, who looked pale and weak. He'd already told the family he was filing for divorce. For the most part, they understood his reasoning, but he knew they also partially blamed him for Ginny becoming so unbalanced.

"Bah," said Fleur. "She always had an unhealthy obsession with you. They just refused to see it until now."

Hermione scratched at her belly. Both she and Fleur sat with their feet resting on the coffee table in front of them. Fleur looked about ready to burst; she and Bill's third daughter was due any day now. They were planning on naming her Louise, after Molly's father, Aloysius. She'd be about a month or so older than Ron and Hermione's daughter, although they would be in separate class levels.

"Everyone did, even me," murmured Hermione. "I'm sorry, Harry. I knew how much you wanted a family, and I knew Ginny could give you one. All I wanted was for you to be happy."

Not for the first time that day, she looked to be on the verge of tears. His stomach twisted with guilt. None of this would be happening if he'd stayed with Ginny. He'd ruined this family whom he loved so much. It was a wonder they could even stand the sight of him.

"I _was_ happy," he said.

"It wasn't _true_ happiness, though." Hermione swiped at her eyes, which were definitely beginning to glisten. "You were in love with images of each other. Images that I helped build. Oh, Harry, how can you ever forgive me?"

He reached across the expanse of the table and patted her on the shoulder.

"There, there. No need to cry. We're still friends."

She huffed at him, a mixture of amusement and despair in her expression.

"You're worse than Ron at comforting people, do you know that?"

Fleur threw her a sharp glance. "Harry has good reason," she said in clipped tones. "His family did not show him any love."

His brows drew together. Fleur wasn't supposed to know about his time with his Muggle relatives. Then again, both Ron and George had seen the bars on his window. Just because Molly dismissed it as a concern didn't mean her sons did the same. They might have told the rest of the family their suspicions, too.

"Ron's family is full of emotional abuse," Hermione shot back in defense of her husband.

Fleur waved a hand. "Yes, but that's not the same as what Harry's family did to him."

"Er," said Harry, even more uncomfortable now. "I'm going to get a glass of water. Do you want anything?"

"Abuse is abuse." Hermione leveled her with a forbidding gaze. " _Every_ form of it is harmful."

Pushing up from his seat, Harry walked toward the back door instead the kitchen. Clearly they were ignoring him in favor of their argument, but he didn't mind. Right now he just needed to get away from the psychoanalysis.

All of the children were outside with Ron supervising them. He looked up as Harry exited onto the porch and then quickly looked away again. After a moment, he thrust an unopened beer bottle at Harry. The tips of his ears were faintly red.

"I don't blame you," he muttered, his voice rough with emotion. "I'm just… disappointed, that's all."

Recognizing the peace offering for what it was, Harry took the bottle and leaned against the railing. He counted the four children playing in the garden and quickly realized one was missing. A scan of the yard revealed James squatting in front of Albus' tree. In his small fist was a clutch of weeds, which he laid on the plaque with the flowers everyone had placed earlier.

A sharp pain burst through Harry's chest. He wondered if James even understood the action, or if he was just copying the adults.

"Harry."

He briefly tore his gaze away from James.

"We'll get through this," said Ron.

"We?" Harry couldn't help repeating with a frown.

Ron let out a breath. "Yeah. We."

Then he cracked a grin; it looked rather forced, but Harry appreciated the effort. He himself hadn't managed a genuine smile in a month.

"We're a team, Potter. You aren't getting rid of Hermione and I so easily."

Overwhelmed with a confusing array of emotions, Harry looked away from him. He watched James' progress back across the yard – watched as he fell and pushed himself back up, his expression set with determination – and felt a lump in his throat. Ron was much better at comforting people than anyone had expected.

"Thanks," he forced out.

"Anytime," Ron replied, and that was all that needed to be said.

* * *

 **AN:** The HP series generated a lengthy discussion with the sixteen-year-old boy I've kind of adopted. Topics: infatuation vs. love; dismissing abuse; and emotional abuse within the family are just a few.

 _Yeah, I'm trying to parent a teenager._


	21. Mistake

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

"Dada!" James held up his favorite book. "Cow moo!"

"Not now, James," Harry murmured. "Daddy's tired."

"Moo!" he said more plaintively, shaking the book for emphasis.

In retrospect, it might have been a better idea to leave James at Andromeda's house or maybe with Ron and Hermione. However, Harry hadn't known beforehand why Arthur and Molly wanted him at the Burrow. They'd sounded so urgent in the Patronus message that he reacted instinctively.

Now he didn't know what to do. His mind kept on circling back to one fact: Ginny had killed the baby and it was his fault.

A familiar creak on the stairs made him look up. The landing outside Ginny's old bedroom always made that sound. Harry was certain Arthur spelled it that way on purpose.

Shortly later Molly entered the room where Harry and James were waiting. Without looking at Harry, she said quietly, "You can see Ginny now."

Harry nodded and rose to his feet.

"Won't you take James?" she asked.

For a moment, Ginny's words reverberated in his head: _James is a mistake._ Harry clenched his hands and bit back - something. A sob. A snarl. Even he wasn't sure. His own emotions were too confusing. All he knew was that he didn't want her anywhere near their son.

"No," he said quietly, and gave Ginny's mother nothing else. He felt her judgmental gaze on his back, though, as he climbed the stairs.

Harry wasn't ever going to tell her the whole truth about his and Ginny's fight. He didn't want to ruin her image of Ginny. It was better to let her blame him.

At the top of the first flight of stairs, he had to pause. Memories suddenly overcame him of every time he'd entered this room. The majority of those visits had ended particularly well, though he wouldn't ever tell Ginny's family of them.

Before he left to hunt Voldemort, Ginny had kissed him so he wouldn't forget her; they probably would have done more if Ron hadn't interrupted them.

After the war, Ginny took his virginity so he wouldn't forget her while she was at school.

Everything about their relationship had been Ginny staking her claim on him. At the time, he'd enjoyed the feeling of being wanted and adored. Now he knew her possessiveness and occasional idolization were deeply unhealthy.

So unhealthy that she took the life of an innocent child.

Harry took a deep breath and stepped toward the door. He rapped his knuckles against it, and then, when there was no response, he called hesitantly, "Ginny? Can I come in?"

Seconds later the door opened and Ginny beamed at him.

"Harry! Come in, come in! Sorry I didn't say anything, I thought you were my parents." She flopped onto her bed and scowled at the ceiling. "They won't leave me alone."

It occurred to Harry rather suddenly that Ginny was just shy of her twenty-fourth birthday. Most people their age were just beginning to consider marriage, not on the verge of having their second child.

Harry caught that thought. He and Ginny wouldn't be having a second child because she had killed the baby.

She tilted her head toward him and patted the bed.

"Won't you join me?" she said with a grin. "I know it's small but that never stopped us before."

Instead of lying down next to her, Harry sat in the rickety chair at her old desk. In his mind's eye, he could see eleven-year-old Ginny at this same desk pouring out her heart to her new diary. He wondered how much of herself she had lost due to Tom Riddle's possession. After spending an entire year with Riddle in her head, it was possible she'd taken on some of his personality.

"Why are you all the way over there?" Ginny whined, propping herself up on an elbow to look at him. She patted the bed again and waggled her eyebrows.

"Because we need to talk," he replied, meeting her gaze at last. "We can't avoid this, Ginny."

"You're the one avoiding it," she retorted, and then she added with a lecherous grin, "You know I'll have my way with you eventually."

He wished he could deny the tendril of arousal her words caused.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, Ginny."

"Do I?"

At a look from him, she sighed and rose from the bed. The room was so small that it took her only a single step to reach Harry. She sat on his lap, her breasts pressed to his chest and her arms wrapped over his shoulders. When she leaned down, her breath ghosted over his lips. He resisted the urge to place his hands on her hips and glanced to the side.

"The abortion doesn't matter," she whispered. "All it means is that we'll be happy again."

She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth as his stomach twisted. The abortion meant a lot more than that to him.

"Don't you want to be happy, Harry? That's what you said when we got married." She smiled and kissed him again, this time on his cheek as he turned his head away. "Right in our vows, you said I was the only person who could make you happy. Remember that?"

"I do," he replied with reluctance, "but back then, I didn't know how much we were lying to ourselves."

"Lying?" She undulated her hips. "Does that feel like a lie to you?"

"Anyone can achieve that," he said a bit sharply. "As you proved with Zacharias Smith."

She groaned and let her head drop against his shoulder. "Why bring him up? The problem's solved. The baby is gone. I'm sorry it ever happened but can we _please_ just move on?"

Harry threaded his fingers into her silky hair and lifted her head. Her lips parted and she moved against him again. Pushing down his natural reaction, Harry asked, his tone both soft and cold, "Are you sorry James happened?"

"I-" She stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

"You called him a mistake, Ginny. Do you not want him?"

"Of course I do," she snapped. "You love him so much -"

" _I_ love him so much?" Harry said quietly.

" _We_ love him so much," she hastily corrected. "And you know I'll do anything-"

"To be with me?" He chuckled darkly. "Yes, you've made that abundantly clear."

Her voice rose. "Stop interrupting me!"

Ginny's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were blazing. He wished it wasn't such an attractive look on her.

"No, I didn't want him," she admitted. "He ruined my Quidditch career and he looks-" She choked on the words, shook her head, and started again, her tone plaintive, "I know he makes you happy, and that's all I want for you. So please, _please_ , tell me how to fix this."

"You can't."

The words fell into the space between them, dark and forbidding. It wasn't until he spoke that he realized how true they were. Perhaps in the future he could forgive her, but there was no hope of ever repairing their relationship.

"You can't," he said more gently as Ginny reared back, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "You have to know that James means everything to me - yes, even more than you. I can't risk his happiness just because I love you."

He put one hand on her cheek as her lip trembled. She was blinking back tears and his heart broke a little more. He hated doing this to her but it was necessary, not just for James but himself, too.

"You did the unthinkable, Ginny. I would have raised Albus as my own son, I would have even consented to the Cloning Potion… But I won't stand for anymore death, not for my sake."

"Are you-" Her voice broke, her chest hitching. She sounded incredulous. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Harry drew in a breath before he answered. "Yes," he said quietly. "I am. I want a divorce."

A strangled sound escaped her. The tears were slowly spilling out now but she didn't wipe them away. Her hands fisted in his shirt, as if to keep him against her, but he lifted her from his lap and removed her hold on him. He heard a repressed sob as he kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back in a few days for the memorial," he told her.

She finally spoke when he'd reached the door. He looked back at her to see her eyes blazing again and his chest tightened.

"I won't leave you," Ginny said fiercely. "Not ever. We belong together, and you know it. _Everyone_ knows it. Even Hermione agreed!"

He shook his head. "Hermione always put me above herself," he said, realizing it only as he spoke. "But I doubt she would've approved of cheating. Goodbye, Ginny."

"Harry-"

He slipped out the door before she could fully respond and locked it with a spell. As he'd expected, he heard Ginny's fist slamming against the wood followed by a shriek of pain and anger. Then she started shouting desperately, "Harry, please, I love you, I'll do anything for you!" and each word was like a dagger through his heart.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and turned for the stairs.

Harry stopped as he heard Arthur's voice coming from the room where he'd left James.

"If the bird says 'Caw,' what sound would a hippogriff make?"

There was a significant pause.

"See here how they both have beaks… What do you think, James? If the bird says 'Caw,' what sound would a hippogriff make?"

"Caw!" James said with delight. "Caw, caw, caw!"

"Yes, that's it! You're a smart little boy, aren't you?"

Harry closed his eyes as James giggled. _This_ , he thought. _This is what I'm destroying._

He just hoped Ginny's family would be able to forgive him.

* * *

 **AN:** Sorry this is coming out right before Christmas, a time of happiness and loving family. The Teenager, as it turns out, takes up quite a bit of my time.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Being a Medic was a difficult job. The shifts were demanding and Daphne, one of the few Slytherins on staff, got the worst of them. This time she was working two shifts back-to-back, which might actually be illegal, but she wasn't going to risk her job by protesting. The receptionist who arranged their schedules, Odilia Fowler, seemed to particularly enjoy giving Daphne the worst assignments.

"I can't believe he got sick while I'm pregnant!"

Daphne's smile became even more strained.

"You can't choose when you get sick," she pointed out. "Congratulations, by the way."

The announcement should have been a joyous occasion, but Pansy waved the comment away as if it meant nothing.

"Yes, yes, we're having _another_ little brat, how _wonderful_." She glared at her son, who looked downright miserable. "Do something about him, won't you?"

Daphne consulted her notes. "It's likely a case of the common cold," she said.

Little Julian's nose had been running ever since he arrived, and Daphne had mopped it up several times for him. He seemed to be barely holding himself up, which was a commendable achievement for a boy who wasn't yet two years old. He reached pleadingly for his mother, who stepped back with a look of disgust. Daphne had to remind herself that she wasn't allowed to slap patients.

"Even an idiot could guess that." Pansy crossed her arms, her lip curling into a sneer. "Do they just pay you to state the obvious?"

 _Then why did you bring him in?_ Daphne wanted to demand. Only years of practice kept her from saying it aloud.

"I'll have a Healer review it just in case," she said instead. "If I'm right, you can get a decongestant potion at the apothecary. The Antifrigus Potion can eradicate it completely but we don't recommend it for children."

" _I'll_ determine what's good for my son," snapped Pansy.

Daphne nodded as she pulled out her Alert Key to call for the Healer. She inserted it into the slot by the door and then wrote _Healer Prescott, Room 557_ on the tablet next to it.

While they waited for the Healer to appear, Daphne turned to Pansy and made small talk. At one time, they'd been roommates. Surely Daphne could stand her for a few more minutes. _Stars above, help me,_ she begged as she plastered another smile on her face.

"When's the baby due?" she asked.

"July," said Pansy. "He was conceived on Samhain."

That was not information Daphne needed to know.

"I'm hoping for another boy," Pansy continued. "Merlin knows how useless girls are. Plus it'd be nice to have a spare in case Julian dies."

She paused.

"He won't die from a cold, right?"

"If his fever has already broken, then it's unlikely," said Daphne.

She felt a minor sense of relief. Even if Pansy sounded callous, this was the first time she'd shown any concern for her son.

"But he _could_ die if he got another one." Pansy frowned. "I really hope this one is a boy, then."

Daphne looked up at the clock. Healer Prescott was certainly taking his time. Unfortunately, this was a common occurrence with her assignments.

"I'm thinking about naming him Severus," said Pansy. "Marcus' family tends to use Roman names and I think it'd be a nice tribute to Professor Snape."

Daphne could list all of the reasons why that was a bad idea. Knowing Pansy wouldn't listen to them, she said instead, "It could be a girl."

Pansy shrugged. "Then Severa. But I have a feeling it'll be a boy."

For the child's sake, Daphne hoped she was right. She feared what Pansy would do with a daughter.

They chatted for a few more minutes. Pansy asked some pointed questions about Draco and Astoria, which Daphne avoided answering. When Healer Prescott finally reached the room, Daphne could have cried. He frowned at her look of gratification, but by the time the visit ended, he evidently understood the reason.

Fortunately Pansy's son was her last patient of the day and she was able to go home at an almost-reasonable hour. She was looking forward to enjoying a nice, long bath - possibly even with bubbles - and then sleeping for at least a week.

Her sister had other ideas.

When Daphne stepped into her flat, it was to find her sister lying on the floor with papers scattered around her. Astoria was staying with her until the lease expired for the flat above the shop. Since she had more regular hours than Daphne, she was supposed to be preparing dinner for them. A glance at the kitchen revealed that hadn't happened yet.

With a sigh, Daphne headed for her bedroom. As she changed into more comfortable clothing, she took a moment to gaze longingly at her wonderful, comfortable bed. Then she squared her shoulders and went to see what Astoria was doing. She picked up one of the papers and read aloud from it.

"'Hello, Anus. I'm Primus Loser Malfoy, but you can call me Loser.'" She glanced from the paper to her sister. "Did a twelve-year-old write this?"

"Two drunk men, actually," said Astoria. "I've tried rewriting that scene. How does this sound?"

She thrust another paper into Daphne's face.

 _ALBUS: My name is Albus._

 _SCORPIUS: Hi Scorpius. I mean, I'm Scorpius. You're Albus._

The scene was awkwardly sweet, but Daphne had to wonder about the name choices. She'd heard multiple complaints about Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

"Wasn't Scorpius the name Draco was insisting on?" she asked.

"I thought it was more realistic," said Astoria. "Not that we'll ever publish it, but it's still very cathartic."

Looking at the page again, Daphne was too scared to ask who Anus was supposed to symbolize. There'd been a lot of children named after Dumbledore, but most of them were a variation: Alba, Percy, Brianna, Wolf… There weren't many people who'd saddle their son with a name like Albus.

Then it occurred to her. There was a family of very staunch Dumbledore-supporters who had a son named Percy. Daphne wouldn't be surprised if they named another child after him.

"Let me guess," she said. "Albus is a Weasley and the most annoying person in the world."

"Something like that," Astoria muttered, and then in a much more offhand tone, she asked, "Anyway, how was your day?"

If this was how Astoria dealt with her frustration, then Daphne wasn't going to stop her. She helped her sister collect the pages as she explained Pansy's visit to the hospital.

"Sounds like the Weaslet as a mother," Astoria snorted.

Daphne's brows lifted. She couldn't see how Astoria would know anything about the Weaslet's parenting style. Still, it said much about the role of Albus in the script; Daphne was now almost certain he was a Weasley.

After making sure her papers were in order, Astoria carefully set them on the table next to the sofa serving as her bed. Daphne had requested a room expansion a few months ago, but unsurprisingly, the Department of Figuration had yet to process it. Until she got another bedroom, her guests were sleeping on the couch.

"Anyway, how does pasta sound?" Astoria asked as she padded into the kitchen.

"Like calories," Daphne replied.

Astoria looked alarmed. "Is calories a disease?"

Sometimes Daphne was very concerned about her fellow wizarding kind.

* * *

 **AN** : This one has been knocking around in my head for months. I eventually decided to make Pansy 'Slytherin Ginny.' Two different sides of the same coin, so to speak.

It also required me to open CC, which was a horror unto itself.


	23. Marauder

**19 December 2015**

Although Harry and Daphne had wanted to wait until the summer, an opportunity to adopt a dog came up right at Christmas. James had overheard a conversation in the Ravenclaw Common Room and immediately brought the news to Harry: Isaac Bailey's grandmother was moving into a retirement home over the holiday, and her dog couldn't go with her. Now the family was looking to rehouse the dog in a loving home, which, James claimed, could be them if Harry acted quickly enough.

There'd also been puppy-eyes involved. It was James' last resort when he was trying to get what he wanted, and this time, it worked effectively.

On Saturday morning, the day after Christmas Break began, the Potter family all piled into the car for the drive - or rather, flight - to Shropshire. They were late on leaving because Teddy overslept and Andromeda had difficulty getting him through the Floo. _Teenagers,_ she muttered as if it were a curse word, and Harry heartily agreed. He had to deal with hundreds of them on a daily basis.

Dawley was a small town, and Harry would have flown straight over it if Daphne's Direction Spell hadn't pinged with their arrival. He made a sharp turn that had the younger children laughing and Teddy swearing from the back seat.

'Sorry,' he mouthed at Daphne's withering glare as they landed in front of the house.

"If you'd just _listened_ to the directions," she muttered darkly, folding up the map and canceling the spell, but a small smile at the corner of her mouth offset the words.

Excited, the children climbed out of the car and darted toward the house. Teddy took his earbuds out for the first time all day and followed them at a more languid pace. Daphne and Harry exchanged a look.

"Teenagers," she sighed, and there wasn't really anything for him to add.

The woman who opened the door greeted them with a smile. "Mr. Potter, I take it?"

"That's me," Harry said with a charming grin. He didn't have to interact with his students' parents very often, so he usually resorted to treating them the same way he would a fan. "This is my wife, Daphne, and our children, Teddy, James, Calla, and Damon."

"Gina Bailey," she said, shaking his hand, and then turned to call, "Isaac, your professor is here! Honey, get off the couch and..."

"I can't move!" her husband protested. "Maud'll wake up if I move."

Mrs. Bailey huffed and looked at the Potters. "I'm sorry he's so lazy," she said.

Both Harry and Daphne smiled. The show of domesticity didn't really change between Muggles and wizards.

At last, they had all gathered in the living room. Isaac even came out of his room, though he avoided eye contact with Harry. He seemed uncomfortable to have his professor in his own home.

"You must be Maud," Harry said to the dog in Mr. Bailey's lap. She seemed content to stay there and observe them from afar, but she did sniff at Harry's hand when he extended it to her. "What breed is she?"

"We're not sure," admitted Mrs. Bailey. "My mother got her from a neighbor. The Haywards kept a lot of strays and didn't neuter any of them. Maud could be a mix of, well, anything."

"Definitely some spaniel in her, though," said her husband, fondly pulling on one of the dog's ears.

"Can I pet her?" Damon asked eagerly.

Mr. Bailey smiled at him. "You certainly may, young man."

He gently set the dog on the floor and Damon immediately curled up with her, stroking her fluffy ears. She licked his face and he laughed. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey seemed to relax a bit more as they watched Damon interact with the dog.

"We think she's about four," said Mrs. Bailey. "She's in good health. All she really needs is… is a new home."

Her voice cracked a bit on the end and Mr. Bailey reached over to squeeze her hand. Their son looked appalled at the show of emotion. _Teenagers,_ Harry thought.

Mrs. Bailey wiped at her eyes. "Sorry. Between this and moving Mum, I'm a little stressed right now."

"We understand," Daphne said gently while Harry nodded sympathetically.

He always let his wife handle the emotional side of things. Over the years, he'd gotten better at understanding emotions, but he still had trouble fully connecting to them. A part of him would always be the lonely little boy in the closet.

After a moment, Mrs. Bailey collected herself and continued listing the dog's general care routine. Isaac also mentioned that Maud liked 'emo music,' which had Teddy lighting up. Harry met Daphne's gaze in shared misery. Neither of them appreciated Teddy's taste in music. The two boys digressed into a discussion about their favorite artists until their parents reined the conversation back to the matter at hand.

That included the payment for Maud. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey had already decided the Potters were a perfect fit for the dog.

"It's like a birthday gift," James said happily when it was all negotiated. By that point, he'd ended up on the floor with the twins and Maud, while Teddy and Isaac disappeared to play video games. "Or Christmas. Whatever. Can I rename her Marauder?"

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bailey blinked.

"I suppose," she said after a long pause.

Grinning, James lifted the dog and nuzzled their noses together. "Welcome to the family, Marauder!"

The sight was so adorable that Harry wished he could take a picture of them. Instead, he shared a smile with Daphne, utterly content in their expanding family. The dog would definitely be a part of the Christmas photo he sent to Dudley.

* * *

 **AN:** A fluffy short piece :)


	24. Middle Names

**25 June 2010**

Harry's stupid little wish-upon-a-star thing had worked, and Daphne was beginning to wonder if Muggles had discovered more about magic than anyone expected. She walked out of the Healer's office in a daze.

They were having _fraternal_ twins, a boy and a girl. In the wizarding world, where identical twins were much more common, this was astounding. That Daphne knew of, the last set of fraternal twins to be born were Amycus and Alecto Carrow about fifty years ago. She didn't want her children to be compared to _them_.

Daphne wasn't sure how she ended up back at home. When she resurfaced back to reality, Harry was pulling the container of birthday cake flavor ice cream out of the freezer box. She decided he had a good idea: a brain freeze would be much more preferable to the headache she was currently developing.

"So, middle names," said Harry once they sat down at the table, a large bowl of ice cream in front of each of them. He was trying to sound casual, but she saw through him at once.

"You already have something in mind, don't you?" she sighed, setting down her spoon. "Well, out with it. But be aware that I maintain vetoing power."

"I was thinking we could be more original," he said. "I know how much your mum values her heritage, so why not something Danish?"

Daphne blinked. That was not what she'd been expecting. Now she was feeling all warm and fuzzy when the ice cream was supposed to help clear her mind.

"You can't pronounce half of them," she pointed out after a moment.

Harry summoned the gigantic book of names from the other room. They'd briefly gone through it to find more names in case the twins were identical. She supposed Evan and Ruby would now be reserved for any future children they might have.

"But there's so many to choose from!" said Harry. "And look, Helene and Marius would be perfect!"

Deciding to humor him, she let him show her both entries in the book. He'd obviously done his research before proposing the idea.

 _Helene_

 _Origin: Greek mythology (see Helen)_

 _Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German_

 _Meaning: Shining light_

 _A moon of Saturn_

 _Marius_

 _Origin: Latin (see Mars)_

 _Usage: Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, French, Lithuanian_

 _Meaning: male_

 _A crater on the moon_

"Harry Potter," she said slowly, "did you actually pick good names?"

He looked quite pleased with himself. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Amazing, indeed," she murmured.

In the beginning, they'd discussed the other names he and Ginny had considered. James Sirius was probably the best of the worst, but they all sounded like names created by a sixteen-year-old child. In fact, Daphne wouldn't be surprised to find out Ginny _did_ come up with them as a teenager. Everyone knew about Ginny's life-long dream to marry Harry Potter.

That brought another thought to mind, though.

"Do you know anyone named Helene or Marius?" Daphne asked.

Harry screwed up his face in thought. "Er, there's Helena Ravenclaw. And I think Marius Black was my great-uncle… But other than them, no."

She moved around the table to sit in the chair next to him. Grabbing his hand, she placed it on her belly and grinned at him. Harry's eyes were already wide with wonder before she even spoke.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter. You're about to be the proud father of Calla Helene Potter and Damon Marius Potter."

* * *

 **AN:** Calla and Damon's names have significance to _both_ sides of the family. That's always been a major issue of mine with JSP, ASP, and LLP.

I'm focusing on doing short fluffs right now because we could all use a little bit of that in our lives.


	25. Happiness

Without any pressure at all, Harry would admit he'd splurged on the tent. This was their first holiday trip in years and he wanted to give the kids the best experience possible. Plus the spaciousness made it hard to compare to the small tent he'd shared with Ron and Hermione during the horcrux hunt.

Hopefully there'd be no Dark Marks in the sky, either. That was unlikely to happen here in Argentina, but he still had no desire to deal with it if an attack did occur. His Auror days were over, thankfully. He was no longer Harry Potter, the Man Who Conquered - he was just Harry Potter, a happy father of four wonderful, if sometimes exhausting children and professor of Hogwarts.

He eyed the bed speculatively. Perhaps he could be a happy father of _five_ children, if his wife was amenable to the idea.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it right now," Daphne said as she walked into the bedroom. "The kids would ruin anything we tried to do."

His smile dimmed a little. Unfortunately, she was right. Still, he enjoyed watching her change out of her casual clothes into something more fitting for a party. Tonight they'd be hosting all of Dumbledore's Army members. That included Ginny; thankfully, Ron and Hermione had sworn to keep an eye on her.

"What was all the yelling about?" he asked, lying back on the bed and crossing his arms behind his head.

She huffed. "They were fighting over the top bunk. _I'm older, I called it..._ The typical nonsense."

"I thought Calla was afraid of heights," he said, frowning.

"She is. This was Teddy and Damon. I still have no idea what _she_ was yelling about." Daphne sat down on the bed to put on her heels. As she did so, she finally noticed Harry in his best sexy position. "Hmm. Maybe later tonight, if I'm still awake."

He grinned. "Fair enough."

She leaned over to kiss him, murmured, " _Later_ ," again when he tried to prolong it, and then headed for the bathroom. With a sigh, Harry got up to change into his robes. Then he went to check if all the children were alive.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and made a note to praise Daphne's forethought. The kids' bedroom had been rearranged since he'd last entered. Instead of proper bunk beds, the beds were pressed together, with one taller bed against the wall and the other one in between the shorter beds. The taller beds had also been lowered down to chest-height. He hadn't hadn't been thinking of their three-year-old children climbing around at such a tall height when he designed the room.

"Time to get ready," he announced to the room. "Clean up everything, change clothes, and brush your teeth. _All_ of you brush your teeth. Those cheese poppers make your breath reek."

There was a loud chorus of groaning at the last order. Harry followed them into the bathroom to help the twins and make sure the older boys obeyed. Teddy barely stuck his toothbrush in his mouth before declaring he was finished. After catching Harry's eye, James did a more proper cleaning.

"Ted, can you push the suitcases under the beds?" Harry called.

Through the open doorway, he could hear grumbling and huffing. From the sound of it, Teddy had decided to _kick_ rather than simply _push_ the suitcases.

"Hey," Harry said quietly to his middle son. "Did you give up your right to a top bunk?"

James shrugged and bent to spit into the sink. "It didn't matter to me," he said once he'd straightened back up. "Can I go now?"

By some miracle, Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, yes, you can go."

When he got back to the room, he saw that Teddy had elected to stay in his Muggle clothing. Harry decided not to fight that particular battle. At least the chosen outfit didn't look too ratty.

"Can some of my friends come to the party?" asked Teddy.

Harry pretended to think about the question, even though he'd anticipated it. "Two friends max," he said.

"That's fine, only Leif and Matthias are here."

Neither of whom were his favorites of Teddy's friends, but he trusted them to not get into too much trouble. That was better than Harry could say of some others.

Unsurprisingly, Astoria and her husband of two years, Elias, arrived thirty minutes early to help set up for the party. Soon afterward Ron and Hermione ushered their two children into the tent. Harry immediately pulled his best friends aside.

"Remember Daphne's reporter cousin? She's going to be in the same box as Ginny and Skeeter. Should I warn her about… you know?"

"My sister's temper and Skeeter's sliminess, especially in regard to you?" said Ron wryly.

Harry resisted the urge to fidget. "Er, yes."

"I'm inclined to say you should," said Hermione, "but what does Daphne think?"

"She thinks so, too, but I still wanted to ask you. Not because I doubt her," he added at her expression. "I just wanted another opinion. I never know how to handle Ginny."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Mate, I've been saying that for over thirty years now. I love her but she has issues."

For a moment, it looked like Hermione was about to rebuke her husband. Then she sighed and nodded in agreement.

"You should definitely warn Daphne's cousin," she said, getting them back on topic. "But speaking of Skeeter, do your kids know to keep an eye out for a beetle?"

"They're supposed to find Daphne or I if they see any bugs. Hopefully they don't just step on it."

Ron muttered that it'd solve their Skeeter problem if she _did_ end up squashed. This time Hermione smacked him lightly on the arm.

"Well, he's right," said Harry fairly.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, sounding like she didn't know whether to laugh or be angry.

Her cry drew the attention of Astoria, who stomped over to them. His sister-in-law stabbed him hard in the chest with one finger. "You better not be letting your wife do all the work," she warned.

"I'm not," he protested.

Then to prove his point, he took out his wand and turned to the table next to them. It was easy to transfigure a coaster into a vase. More difficult was creating flowers, and the result looked more than a little droopy. There was a reason he preferred buying flowers for Daphne from the local store. She'd even laughed at his first attempt to make a bouquet for her.

"It is a wonder you ever managed to woo my sister," said Astoria in a tone of great grievance.

"Hey!" He often wondered the same thing, but it was the principle of the matter.

"It definitely wasn't with his sexy pose," Ron put in.

Harry scowled at his best friend. "Traitor," he muttered as Hermione snickered.

The first guests arrived at that moment, saving him from any more haranguing from his friends and family. Lee and Parvati looked mildly disturbed as Harry approached them and he wondered if his smile was a bit too happy.

Nevertheless, he wouldn't change his happiness for the world.

* * *

 **AN:** Remember that fight between Ginny and Skeeter mentioned in another chapter? It makes it into the Danish papers, courtesy of Daphne's cousin.

Oh, and in reference to Teddy's attitude: he's the son of Remus Lupin, related to Sirius Black, and partially raised by Harry Potter... which means he's more than a little prone to moodiness.


End file.
